Pharmboy Takes Home Film Fest Audience Award

Audiences showed Pharmboy, a movie shot in Pasco County, some love last weekend.

The movie was named winner of the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature category at the Gasparilla International Film Festival, which took place March 19 -24 in Tampa.

The film tells a fictional tale about the very real problem of prescription pill addiction.  It tells the story of Gunner Barrett, a teenager who was born addicted to prescription pills.

Lawrence Feeney, president of Pasco Films, is an independent filmmaker, and he wrote, cast, produced and directed the film himself and also got some producers, including Marc Dahl of Five Studios, to help. He also received a county grant. In addition, he took to “crowdfunding” platform Indiegogo to raise money for the film and was able to garner more than $3,000 for the project.

The Gasparilla International Film Festival was Pharmboy’s first festival showing.

“It was a completely insane and rewarding showing,” Feeney said.

Feeney said the experience started with a private screening. He said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Pasco School Board member Steve Luikhart were among the attendees. 

On Friday, March 22, Pharmboy had its premiere at the festival. Pharmboy cast and production crew, including Feeney, Chris Cavalier, (who played Gunner) and others, attended the premiere. Pharmboy also returned to the festival Sunday for another showing.

Feeney said there couldn’t have been a better response to his movie’s screening. He said about 500 people saw it over the course of the festival. Not only was he able to get exposure for his work, Feeney said he was also able to make contact with other filmmakers in the area.

“When you have been shown at a film festival, it adds opportunity you wouldn’t normally get,” he said.

Feeney said that he also got a chance to hear audience reactions to the film at a question-and-answer session after the premiere. He said he heard from foster parents and others who felt the impact of the prescription pill addiction problem. One in the audience even got up and identified himself as someone who had been an addict.

Feeney is now working on next steps for Pharmboy. He said Bondi has expressed interest in organizing a screening in Tallahassee.

The film premiered first in Pasco this past December. Feeney pledged to donate funds from the premiere, which was Dec. 3, to local organizations and events including the Friends of the New Port Richey Library, Greater New Port Richey Main Street, the Chasco Fiesta and the Cotee River Bike Fest. He also said that if there were profits from the film, he would donate a portion to those groups.

He has already donated some funds to those organizations.

Feeney has released a trailer of Pharmboy on Vimeo. Check it out and return to Patch for details on where the film is headed as they become available.