Flagler professors premiere film starring students, alums

Illustration by Ashley Sadeghy

Scene taken from the film.

By Brittany Hackett

The “Happy Talk” premiere is over, but that is just the beginning for the film written and directed by two Flagler faculty members.

“We have submitted the film to about 20 film festivals already,” said professor Nadia Ramoutar, the film’s screenwriter and co-producer. “And we’re looking at submitting it to a number of other ones.”

Kathe O’Donnelly, one of the co-producers of “Happy Talk” said that there are future collaborations between Ramoutar, professor and director Jim Gilmore, and herself being planned. Ramoutar has already written a feature-length script, currently titled “Exile to Coupledom” that she describes as a dark-comedy. They are currently looking for investors for the film.

“I think we would love to do it if we could in St. Augustine,” Ramoutar said. “One of our goals is to put St. Augustine back on the map as far as filmmaking goes because it used to be a very prominent place.”

“Happy Talk” premiered on Jan. 27 in the Flagler Auditorium to an almost packed house. Flagler student Andrew Rogers said he thought the movie was “awesome.”

“I know most of the people who were in it and made it and I know they worked hard to make it cool,” Rogers said.

“We really are excited about the fact that we worked so much with graduates, with local people, with community people and we’re very excited to do this here,” Ramoutar said of the film’s premiere at Flagler. “We wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else rather than here.”

Helena Sarkio, an assistant professor in the Communication department who works with both Ramoutar and Gilmore, was at the premiere to support her colleagues.

“I’m really happy for her because I know it was something she was really passionate about,” Sarkio said.