How far would you go to protect your home and your way of life? Tourist Town is a short, animated comedy about local misfits tired of the tourists ruining their paradise. When a bridge expansion project threatens their favorite bar, the Forgotten Fish, they decide to put a stop to overdevelopment once and for all: by blowing up the only bridge to the island. But they don't stop to think about the consequences.

 

In this animated TV series, locals of Rooster Island have marooned themselves with some of the very tourists they resented. As supplies dwindle, tempers rise as this group of zany, quirky characters fight for their island home. Tourist Town is fun, lighthearted short film inspired by the Florida Keys, but it also exposes the problem of over-tourism and how it destroys the fabric of a community.

The 10-minute short film is currently in progress with Flocker House Animation Studio! We are an all-female team of animators.

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS:

Amber Nolan
As a Key West writer, director, animator, and producer, Amber enjoys creating short comedies that showcase unique “fringe” lifestyles. Tourist Town is her third short film project that has been inspired by her wonderfully weird home state of Florida. She partnered with Nina & Arantxa, and while they’ll be handling the character and background design and major animations, Amber is casting, video editing, animating, and sourcing music and sounds. 

Yu Shan Lai (Nina)
Yu Shan Lai (Nina) is a Canadian animator who graduated from Sheridan College. Her love for film and anime inspired her to pursue animation, and she's since worked on popular shows like Snoopy and Central Park. Alongside her business partner, she co-founded their own animation studio to create work they're passionate about. When not animating, she enjoys gaming and spending time with her cat.

Arantxa Chavarri
Arantxa is a Venezuelan artist who calls both Toronto and Madrid home. As an art director, she's led indie projects and collaborated with artists from all over the world ranging from short films to music videos. Together with Nina, she co-founded Flocker House Studios, where they bring their creative visions to life. She enjoys traveling, finding it to be a source of inspiration.


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VIDEOS TO WATCH
Learn about the Animation Process HERE

Director's Statement on Why We're Making this Film:

I live in Key West, Florida, a hub for artists and other creatives, and for years I’ve watched greed destroy the fabric of our local community. We have something truly special down here; it’s an eclectic, welcoming place that’s entirely authentic. It exudes the “old Florida” vibes as locals live in harmony with the ocean, things that break will get fixed “eventually,” and people understand that real luxury is not about high-rise condos or gated communities. 

The lighthearted, laidback tone of the film reflects the Florida Keys lifestyle, but the film also shines a spotlight on a very real problem that the Florida Keys — as well as many worldwide tourism destinations like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Provincetown, Venice, Nantucket, and Hawaii — are currently facing. Overtourism and overdevelopment are causing artists, musicians, and other long-time locals to leave due to rising costs. With each departure, a piece of what made our community unique and wonderful is lost forever. 

Despite this widespread problem,  it seems very little is being done to combat community exploitation, so I hope “Tourist Town” can raise awareness through comedy. 

Flocker Animation is a work-for-hire studio, so the grant will  be used for the art development of the character rigs, backgrounds, and props as well as the more complicated animations. I (Amber) will be doing basic animations in Adobe Animate.

Animation is very time-consuming and expensive, so the majority the funds will be put toward their high-quality work. However, payments will also be issued to the voice actors playing the character roles, as well as distribution and marketing efforts so that the film has a wide audience.

Film Distribution Plan:
This is a preliminary list of Film Festivals that we will be submitting the film to. Each festival had an entry fee which typically ranges between $30-$80. This does not mean that the film will be shown at all of these events. 

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