Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Cathedral, Florida to life.
 

Logline

A young boy joins his girlfriend on vacation, but finds he is more drawn to her father, who is blind.

Synopsis

Cathedral, Florida is a 20-minute short film that tells the story of this vacation. It unfolds in a motel room, across one day, during a storm.

For more information on the story and creative approach, please download the deck here.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Jacob LaMendola — Writer/Director
Jacob LaMendola is an award-winning US based filmmaker. His first documentary short, Anosmia, explores the lives of people who like Jacob, are unable to smell. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was published as an Op-Doc in The New York Times.
 
Inspired by IMDB trivia, Jacob spent five years creating Long Shot. The film tells the story of Juan Catalan, whose alibi to escape a murder charge involved an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2017, Long Shot premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was released on Netflix. Noted for its warm, humanistic approach, Telluride’s festival director praised Long Shot as one of her favorites, saying it’s “a movie that I will probably watch a good couple of times before the end of my life.”
 
In 2023, Jacob was selected as one of fifty filmmakers from around the world to attend the CREATOR’S LAB under mentorship of Palme d’Or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film he created is in post-production.
 
In 2024, Cathedral, Florida won the Pitching Forum at Fest | New Directors New Films, securing the involvement of Bleat Post Production, who has worked with some of Jacob’s favorite directors. Currently, Jacob is in pre-production.

Abby Davis — Executive Producer
Academy Award nominated Abby Lynn Kang Davis specializes in breaking underrepresented voices into the top tiers of the film and television marketplace. Her specific skill set in identifying broad audience stories, advocacy and mentorship on behalf of emerging storytellers has garnered millions in sales revenue, top tier film festival invitations and numerous Oscar and Emmy awards.

Abby is responsible for producing multiple projects, most recently the Emmy nominated Long Shot, two-time Emmy nominated and winner 306 Hollywood, The New York Times’ Emmy nominated series Almost Famous, the Oscar nominated A Concerto is a Conversation and the Oscar winning Queen of Basketball.

A Michigan native, Abby is also the founder of character., a producing and consulting company out of Chicago, that focuses on advocating for underrepresented storytellers.

David Duque Estrada — Producer
As the gay son of Cuban immigrant parents, storytelling has always been an important part of culture and identity for award winning producer, David Duque Estrada. He believes this reference from childhood ignited his passion for storytelling through film and TV, thus putting him on his current career trajectory. With over ten years of production experience, having worked his way up from Production Assistant to Executive Producer, David’s technical knowledge of film coupled with coordination skills and empathetic leadership have allowed him to excel in this industry.

David is attracted to socially impactful projects as well as films that allow for the collaborative spirit of filmmaking. His films include the PGA Nominated, Reality starring Sydney Sweeney, Aaron Sorkin’s, Trial of the Chicago 7, and A24 films, It Comes at Night, Funny Pages, and The Lighthouse. David understands the fine line between the creative needs of a project and how that fits into the means that have been provided to bring it life.

Jonathan Rosenblit — Producer
Jonathan Rosenblit received his BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in Film and TV Production in 2009. Immediately after graduating, he went on to serve as a Production Supervisor in HBO’s Original Documentary Department, working on several Emmy-winning documentaries. He has worked on films for Netflix, A24, Amazon Studios and many others. His narrative short film The Greggs won the Spirit of Slamdance Award at the Slamdance Film Festival.

Since then, his films have premiered at the Sundance, Toronto, Telluride, and Venice Film Festivals. He is currently producing and directing a documentary film about the GA Senate races of Raphael Warnock. Most recently he produced a feature film for Will Ferrell’s Gloria Sanchez Productions titled This Is the One They’ll Remember Me By, directed by Academy Award Nominee Alex Mechanik.

David Broad — Producer
David Broad, a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, is an award-winning film and video producer born and raised in New York City. As the founder of Left Of Frame Pictures, a boutique production company, David has produced commercials, branded content, and live-streamed events for clients such as JP Morgan Chase, Adidas, and The North Face.

His recent documentary work includes Larry King Beyond The Mic (PBS), Women in the Wilderness (Doomsday Entertainment, 2025) and Baul Soul of Bengal (Amazon). His live streaming events include concerts featuring The Temptations, Don Felder, Formerly of The Eagles, Jersey Boys, and Beautiful: The Carole King Story. Adept at managing teams & budgets from small to large, David takes pride in collaborating with diverse teams, putting the budget on screen, and delivering impactful content that resonates across platforms. 

This is his first collaboration with Jacob LaMendola after many years excitedly following his career.

Make a donation to Cathedral, Florida.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.