Florida Film Festival: Legendary Actor John Amos Graces Opening Night for ‘Because of Charley’ Premiere

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Legendary actor John Amos (The Roots, Die Hard 2, Coming to America, Coming 2 America) graced the 30th annual Florida Film Festival Opening Night Friday for the world premiere of Because of Charley, a dysfunctional family comedy set in Florida during the time of Hurricane Charley.

Because of Charley

Directed by: Jon Binkowski

USA, 2021, 113m

The film is a living demonstration of the “awkward conversation.” Two estranged families get together with the expectation of simply enduring each other and going their separate ways again…then Hurricane Charley strikes, forcing the relatives to take cover in one place and wait out the hurricane. With so many unspoken issues bottled in, confrontations ensue, forcing family members to face their unspoken fears and prejudices.

“This film needed to be made,” Amos said. “It focuses on a family, and I think the story is very relevant right now.”

Because of Charley has two screenings at the festival, both on Friday: one at 6pm and another at 9:30pm.

Because of Charley Synopsis

What can possibly go wrong when 2004’s Hurricane Charley decides to crash two estranged families’ attempt to stage a tenth anniversary surprise party on a Friday the 13^th in the immaculately planned community of Celebration? As the recently blended, multi-cultural, multiracial families gather to celebrate their new relationships, personal histories and fresh revelations prove as threatening as the first of the four major hurricanes to batter the Sunshine State in that brief period of hope midway between 9/11 and the 2008 global financial crisis. With each family led by an unpredictable grandparent—the lubricious Grammy (Central Florida’s own Peg O’Keef) and the mercurial Grandpa Otis (the legendary John Amos, Roots, Coming to America)—everyone needs to learn how to overcome rivalries, biases, and repressed memories, and rely on each other to face the capricious Charley in this dysfunctional family comedy.

The first Screen Actor Guild’s COVID-compliant feature film completed in Florida during the pandemic, Because of Charley required everything from rapid testing of all cast and crew three times a week, personal protective equipment, and extensive overnight cleaning to enforced temperature checks, individually packaged meals, and mandatory face masks. Working under SAG’s strictly enforced 8-hour workday rules during the height of Florida’s hurricane season, the cast and crew completed the filming in a remarkable 21 days.

This year’s Florida Film Festival boasts over 160 movies from 31 different countries, with 23 films making world premieres there. The festival runs from April 9-22.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com