It's January 2023, and a young woman has made the decision to move to the other side of the country.
Meanwhile, in 2003, another young woman is taking a road trip that will change her life - a road trip that never goes back home.
When I made the decision to move to Florida, I really didn't know much about the state beyond it's tourist destinations and theme parks. I was a place I had visited a handful of times over the course of my life, but I'd only really ever seen the theme parks and beaches. It was because of this that I was so pleasantly surprised by the diversity of wildlife across the state.
It was my first time seeing alligators and being presented with the realities of the Everglades and the creatures they held. I took an immediate fascination with the landscape wand wanted to learn all I could. I deep dove into the history of the Everglades and the cultures surrounding it. The myths and legends of the Everglades really drew me in, and I knew I wanted to make a film that represented my newfound passion in the Everglades.
The Foreverglades was first thought into existence in March of 2023. I stumbled upon the story of Mini Lights and the Gator Boys that caught my attention. The idea of a woman and her sons hinting for kids in the Everglades had been told to generations of Floridians, so much so it had become a local fable. While the details of the story aren't clear, some research suggests that the events of the story are based in actual events.
From the Gator Boys, my research landed on the historical practice of Gator Baiting. First recorded in the late 1800s, the practice of gator baiting was popularized by promotional material for the state. The practice itself was actually quite gruesome - plantation owners and gator hunters alike would take African-American children to use as bait in their hunting. Children would often die from the practice. While the practice pulled out of the media in the late 1900s, there's no evidence the practice was ever fully stopped.
There's so much mystery surrounding the hundreds of acres of land that the Everglades cover, and so little that's known about what goes on in their depths.
The Gator boys have since become the Jameston brothers, and the historical practice made modern, but the story is still the same - What if the practice of Gator Baiting was never stopped, and still persisted in the shadows of the Everglades?
The Gator boys have since become the Jameston brothers, and the historical practice made modern, but the story is still the same - What if the practice of Gator Baiting was never stopped, and still persisted in the shadows of the Everglades?
I would recommend to anyone to learn more about this practice that has been hidden for such a long time in history. I've linked an article below that's a good starting place for reading on the topic. And as always, I cheer on curiosity and encourage everyone to read more about this part of our history.
