Subtropic Film Festival

SUBTROPIC FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO WPB, NORTON AND AFFLUX STUDIOS AT G-STAR STUDIOS NOVEMBER 7-9

West Palm Beach, FL — Subtropic Film Festival returns to West Palm Beach, November 7–9, 2025, for a weekend of independent films from South Florida, art and workshops, and more at the Norton Museum of Art and Afflux Studios at G-Star Studios!

Opening Night Spotlight on the Everglades & Local Art
The festival launches Friday, November 7, with a red carpet premiere at the Norton, presented as part of the Museum’s Art After Dark series. The opening night puts a spotlight on the Everglades, not only with the night’s featured documentary but also through the exhibition of local artists whose work draws inspiration from the marshes of South Florida. “I think of our local film scene the way a lot of people might think of our Everglades,” says festival director Noelia Solange Rabino, “A lot of people see it as a harsh environment, but once you’re fully immersed, you really start to understand how diverse and incredibly unique it is, like no where else on Earth.”

For the Friday opening feature, South Florida filmmakers follow python hunters, chasing down huge, invasive snakes in the pitch dark of the everglades, in The Python Hunt, directed by Xander Robin, highlighting environmental urgency through the eyes of snake hunters. The festival returns to the Norton on Saturday, November 8, which brings an additional screening and filmmaker conversation. The program is centered on River of Grass, directed by Sasha Wortzel. This film is a poetic, immersive journey through the Everglades, blending archival footage, vérité, and dreamlike sequences to reflect on the region’s beauty, history, and ecological challenges.

“Uniting cinema and visual art for these films elevates our understanding of this vital, fragile ecosystem,” said Ghislain d’Humières, Kenneth C. Griffin Director and CEO of the Norton Museum of Art. “We are happy to welcome the Subtropic team back to the Norton for this annual festival.”

A Weekend of Films at Afflux Studios at G-Star Studios
Simultaneously, on Saturday, the festival continues with day two taking place at Palm Beach County’s largest working soundstage, Afflux Studios at G-Star Studios, in Palm Springs. The festival programming at Afflux offers the audience the opportunity to watch films, attend workshops, and network in a place where films are made. Participants can get hands-on experience learning analog film processing, as they experience analog cinema with Kodak, Cine Video Tech, and Throwbacks. In this hands-on workshop, participants will shoot their own footage on film, guided by film experts.

On Sunday, South Florida PBS will present their Flip The Script program, highlighting young filmmaking voices from local high schools. Among the many other film highlights at Afflux Studios at Gstar Studios on Sunday is Know Me, directed by Edson Jean, a powerful South Florida story exploring identity, resilience, and the complexities of belonging, from award-winning filmmaker Edson Jean. Subtropic’s founders talk about hosting the festival in West Palm Beach as a challenging but worthwhile choice. “We’re not just trying to build a film community,” says Solange. “Our local filmmakers are doing an excellent job of that. We’re trying to bridge existing film communities; bring Miami folks up here, and introduce Palm Beach County filmmakers to the scene in Miami.”

Supporters
This year’s festival is made possible with support from our partners, the Norton Museum of Art, Afflux Studios at Gstar Studios, South Florida PBS, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach Film & Television Commission, and Discover the Palm Beaches.

Tickets are now available, with early bird specials live at subtropic25.

About Subtropic Film Festival
Subtropic Film Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers in our region. In the past year, Subtropic has hosted 18 public events, screened over 120 short films, and welcomed more than 3,500 attendees across Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and South Florida. From programming at the Miami Film Festival, to sold-out shows at Shirley’s Gramps Wynwood, and collaborations with III Points, Subtropic continues growing as a home for independent cinema in South Florida.

Follow us: https://linktr.ee/SubtropicFF | Instagram: @subtropicff

Contact
For press inquiries, interviews, or partnership opportunities, please contact:

Noelia Solange Rabino, Subtropic Film Festival Director
[email protected], 305-505-0952

José Jesús Zaragoza, Subtropic Film Festival President
[email protected], 310-400-6581