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The Legend of the Swamp

A different kind of Florida man.

"Shrek" meets "Where the Crawdads Sing" meets "Passion of the Christ" meets "Princess and the Frog" in this hilariously fantastical, bite-sized re-imagining of a folklore favorite: the Florida Swamp Ape. You'll be stuffed with childlike wonder at the magic nature holds, along with a touch of indigestion! This short film is a brief but whimsical, bug-infested romp through Florida's wetlands that shines light into the dark, curious crevices that exist between humanity and nature, divide the "haves" and "have-not's," and allow moss to grow between the toes of modern society.

  • Nora Long
    Director
  • Ben Tschirgi
    Writer
  • Nora Long
    Producer
  • Ben Tschirgi
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Mockumentary, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 19, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The 48 Hour Film Project
    Tampa, Florida
    United States
    November 17, 2022
    Best Directing, Best Editing
Director Biography - Nora Long

Nora Jane Long is a director, producer, and cinematographer of narrative and documentary films, as well as episodic, emerging, and branded media. She specializes in bringing compelling stories to life through the moving image. An adaptable, collaborative, independent, and organized creative visual storyteller, she strives to use moving imagery as a medium for positive change, exploration, and advocacy.

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Director Statement

The stories I tell are rich in symbolism, satire, and spirit. They illuminate, enrich, challenge, connect, and catalyze. I create films that serve as liminal frames for cinematic portraits of luminous, multidimensional characters. Whether scripted or documentary, I endeavor to infuse creative realism, dimensionality, and a visceral authenticity into my work; to provide a place for connective tissue to grow between fiction and the viewer, while also pulling back the curtain on that very process. Images grounded by this kind of reality and characters with well-developed internal worlds, to me, are the antidote to the seemingly endless tide of digital content inundating us today.