After a West African man enslaved in colonial Carolina escapes to Spanish Florida, he becomes the leader of the first sanctioned free Black settlement in North America and ultimately a hero in the fight against the British. A Book of Freedom: The Confessions of Francisco Menéndez is a docudrama that incorporates documentary evidence and historical fiction to tell the true story of one of the most remarkable people in Florida history.
To watch this, and all other films of our 2026 selection for FREE online, just send us a blank e-mail to register@history-filmfestival.com and automatically receive this year’s code. Availible from 1st to 7th of October 2026. For more details see Take Part.
Director Biography – Students of the Cinematic Art Program at Flagler College
The Cinematic Arts program at Flagler College is based around the production of a multi-year film project created entirely by students under the supervision of a visiting filmmaker. Over the course of 5 semesters, the students in the program wrote the script, organized all aspects of pre-production, were cast in many of the roles, took on all of the crew positions on set, and edited the footage together. In short, they did it all as a collaborative effort.
Director Statement
As the Visiting Filmmaker in Cinematic Arts at Flagler College, I served as the faculty project director and advisor on this film project.
I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our amazing student production teams. These students chose an incredibly important story of local colonial history here in St Augustine, largely ignored by the history books, as the source for their original docudrama.
Unlike most student productions, this is a programmatic production, created entirely by an enormous team of students over multiple semesters. None of them had ever done anything like this before, and it was designed as a high-impact learning experience in the cinematic arts.
I recognize that this film doesn’t necessary fit easily into traditional “student” categories as there is no singular voice serving as the director. But I do hope that you will consider it as a programming option for your upcoming festival.
H. James Gilmore, Visiting Filmmaker
Flagler College
| Students of the Cinematic Art Program at Flagler College Director H James Gilmore Faculty Project Director Tracy Halcomb Faculty Project Producer Nadia Ramoutar Writer Jefferey Spivey Writer Kyle Miller Writer Abby Surber Writer America Hill Writer Quinn Sheehan Writer Hoyt Bankston Writer Allison Kindley Writer Ace Londano Writer Tracy Halcomb Producer Kyle Miller Producer Madison Torres Producer America Hill Producer Makayla Andrews Producer Patrick Coleman Producer Lily Russell Producer Chris Allen Producer Zeus Xavier Scott Key Cast “Francisco Menéndez” Troy Rossi Key Cast “Father Juan” Darby Nash Key Cast “Ana Menéndez” Brit Corry Key Cast “Manuel de Montiano” Benedetto Robinson Key Cast “John Palmer” Kip Taisey Key Cast “Benjamin Norton” Ajeve Robinson Key Cast “Toby” Patrick Mathis Key Cast “James Oglethorpe” Alajah Henry Key Cast “Granddaughter” Madison Torres Cinematography Dustin Miller Cinematography |
