In the Florida Everglades, rabbit hunting is considered a rite of passage for young men. The Rabbit Hunt follows seventeen-year-old Chris and his family as they hunt in the fields of the largest industrial sugar farms in the US. The film records a tradition by which migrant farm workers in the communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee have been hunting and preparing rabbits since the early 1900s.
"A 'fly-on-the-wall' enterprise that turns thrillingly 'run-and-gun' to plunge us into the lives of its protagonists, this film is a compact marvel that shows what a truly talented director can do with the short-film format. It provides a timely glimpse into the tough, but sometimes joyful realities of the rural United States at one of the most turbulent-and increasingly alarming-points in its history."
~ Neil Young, film critic for The Hollywood Reporter and Vienna Shorts Festival Jury President
Review by Jason Shondi at Short of the Week
RABBIT HUNT named third most successful short of 2017
Watch the film for free here on Vimeo through our distributor Topic Studios!
CREW
Patrick is a visual artist and filmmaker. He co-directed THE SEND-OFF which premiered at Sundance in 2016 and received awards at SXSW, SFIFF and AFI FEST. He directed THE RABBIT HUNT which premiered in the US at Sundance in 2017 and in Europe at the Berlinale. The film has won 20 awards including the Cinema Eye Honor. He co-directed and shot SKIP DAY which won the grand jury prize at The Directors Fortnight at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. He was a cinematographer on BOYS STATE which won the grand jury prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The CNC selected his new feature film about nudism to receive cinéma du monde co- production funding.
Ivete was born in Brazil, grew up in Mexico and works as a filmmaker in the United States and Mexico. She started her film career with a grant from the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE) to direct her first short film ASMA, which was shortlisted for an Ariel (the Mexican Academy Award), before moving to the United States to obtain an MFA in Film Production at the University of Texas at Austin. Her short films have premiered and won awards at Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, and London International Film Festival, as well as a Cinema Eye Honor. PAHOKEE, her first feature film, premiered in the Documentary Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and received theatrical distribution in the US and France. She is currently in post production of her second feature film about the practice of nudism.
Maida Lynn (Producer) is the founder of Genuine Article Pictures, a production company that supports non-fiction filmmakers with unique visions who push the form into new directions, with potential to create works the stand the test of time. She executive produced The Send-Off (Sundance ‘16, SFIFF, SXSW, AFI Fest), and co-produced The Rabbit Hunt (Sundance ‘17, Berlinale) and Roadside Attraction (TIFF, SXSW). Her credits as Executive Producer include Sam Green’s live documentary A Thousand Thoughts (Sundance 2017), the forthcoming The Hottest August (d. Brett Story), Queen Of The Battling Butterfly Brigade, and ALEPH. Maida is the producer or the short film Skip Day, which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight and was released by The Guardian.
Beth Earl- Executive Producer
Dóra Nedeczky- Associate Producer
Eric Friend - Sound Design
Karla Diaz- Assistant Editor
Joe Malina- Colorist
FEATURING
Christopher Burgess
Ta’Questa Browning
Chris Felton
Deante Burgess
Crystal Burgess
Kevis Burgess
Da’Tavious Burgess
Ka’Nia Jackson