Cubano
Tampa, Florida | Film Short
Action, Comedy
In the dog days of Tampa summer, two hitmen, one a listless old man, the other a pregnant newbie, take a detour for Cuban sandwiches without realizing the body in the backseat of their car isn’t dead.
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Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$320
Goal: $5,000 for production
In the dog days of Tampa summer, two hitmen, one a listless old man, the other a pregnant newbie, take a detour for Cuban sandwiches without realizing the body in the backseat of their car isn’t dead.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"PUT HIM IN THE BACKSEAT. THE TRUNK DON'T WORK." -Gray
In the dog days of Tampa summer, two hitmen, one a listless old man (Gray), the other a pregnant newbie (Al), take a detour for Cuban sandwiches without realizing the body in the backseat of their car isn’t dead, leading to a showdown between the world-wearied old man and the skittish first-timer in a knee-jerk explosion of cunning and violence.
Through a distinct and colorful lens, the true goal of Cubano is to capture the culture and texture of Tampa. The Cubano, symbolizing Tampa's melting pot culture and working class, propels our characters into a deeper conversation of wealth and circumstance before disaster hilariously ensues.
"I GUESS YOU AIN'T SO BAD. YOU CAME OFF LIKE ONE OF THEM BRONSON DUDES...STERN AS HELL." --Al
Cubano is about pinpointing a time, place, and aesthetic: that gross, sticky humidity. Biting into a sizzling hot, crunchy Cuban sandwich in 99 degree weather as beads of sweat catch on your brow. It celebrates the melting pot of cultures existent in Tampa long before anyone noticed, and it laments the current economic spiral we’re currently facing. It questions what depths will one go to in order to make ends meet. Can an old man erase his gambling debts in underground Ybor dice games? Can a pregnant woman pull-off one hit in order to pay her medical expenses? Can she fight through the grief of losing her career criminal boyfriend and find a better life in a state that actively tries to kill her every year between the low pay and the endless hurricanes?
Is happiness possible on the fringes, and if you do manage to make it out, where can you go?
Florida has the duality of seeming like a paradise to some and a humid prison to others. It just depends who you are and where you are.
"IF THEY PUT MAYO, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO ON IT, I'M KICKING YOU IN THE TEETH" --Gray
That's me, James Leming, on the set of my previous film #toxic_positivity that Destiny Greer (prod. Jellyfish Season, Peppermint Pixie Dream Girl) and I made together, and that's my little philosophy on Cuban sandwiches. If there's lettuce, tomato, and mayo on it: I'm ordering nothing and walking out. I've had multiple arguments with friends over this, and somehow those conversations came back while writing.
I've lived in Florida for almost 12 years, and I find it to be a whacky place of duality. Cubano is about many things: imposter syndrome, the inability to make ends meet in a place where many seem to be thriving while the rest of us toil away, and finding common ground with a fellow human being despite feeling as though it were impossible. Al and Gray find themselves in this very situation while chowing down on delicious Cubanos. I want to capture Tampa's eccentricities and working class in a tangible fashion because I'm one of them--and even if you're not currently living in Florida: you are, too. America's a melting pot, and that's beautiful. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that fact, and it can happen in the strangest of situations...even if its an argument in a breakroom over what belongs on a Cubano (true story).
I'm currently a film production professor at the University of Tampa's department of Film, Animation, and New Media. In conjunction with my colleagues Destiny Greer (producer, actor, and FMX staff assistant) and Paul De Lumen (cinematographer and Assistant Professor, FMX), we excitedly aim to hire local Tampa professionals as well as host multiple young UTampa FMX filmmakers to work with us.
Curious to know more about me? Check out my demo reel:
Your donation goes directly towards funding the following production needs: location fees (Cubano restaurant), equipment rental fees (camera team and grip trucks), food for the cast and crew (keep us going), Art Department (costuming/props/sfx) and more. Though we have secured some funding, we need your help to get us through production! We're UTampa film professors hiring local Tampa professionals and promising young UTampa FMX filmmakers, so any help you can offer is MAJOR!
$5,000 is the minimum amount we need to get this project off the ground. Stretch goals allow not only for better, more varied equipment, locations, and talent, but it also equates to a deeper, more enriching experience for the University of Tampa students learning by working on our set. Similarly, the more money we can raise past that goal, the more money we can pay to our diligent and hardworking crew who make these projects possible. Our above the line team is the last to be paid out working gift in kind.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Lodging For Actors
Costs $1,200
We'd like to make sure our actors are nice and cozy, with a relaxing place to rest their heads between shooting days.
Location Cost
Costs $1,000
Help us grab an absolute sick location!!! (Adds to the production value and helps build the aesthetic of the story)
Local Road Closure
Costs $350
Help us pay to block a local road for safety (we're using a car rig, after all)
Police Escort For Road Closure
Costs $300
Help us remain safe while shooting on local roads
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER & DIRECTOR- JAMES LEMING: James Leming is an independent filmmaker and educator who focuses largely on the world of underground and cult films. In his work, he has addressed hefty topics such as mental health, the human condition and existential crises through the lens of absurdist satire. Leming's expertise ranges from writing, directing, editing and film criticism. His films have screened worldwide, with two netting a streaming distribution deal with Troma Entertainment, the longest running independent film studio. His most recent, #toxic_positivity, is being distributed via Film Florida’s newest streaming app as a premiere Florida film.
PRODUCER- DESTINY GREER: Destiny Greer (she/her) is a graduate from the University of Tampa where she received her BA in Theatre and Visual Arts with a minor in Film and Media. Destiny’s works typically focuses on feminist aesthetics and human rights issues and she looks for other creatives with a uniqueness of vison. She is a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, an activist at heart, and an ally to many. Her most notable producing credits include feature film, Jellyfish Season (produced by), short films Peppermint Pixie Dream Girl (produced by) and #toxic_positivity (produced by) and upcoming feature film, In Bloom. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games like Diablo, painting, photography, traveling, and spending time with her partner, Colter, and their two cats Sasha (23yrs) and Slink (4yrs).
CINEMATOGRAPHER- PAUL DE LUMEN: Paul is an award winning Filipino-American Cinematographer that works in both narrative and documentary filmmaking. His work has screened in Cannes, Sundance, Berlinale, Tribeca, and Tokyo Film Festival. Commercially, his clients include Netflix, Apple+, Adidas, Nike, PBS and History Channel. Recently, he lensed John Travolta’s writing/directing feature debut Propeller: One-Way Night Coach, which earned an honorary Palm D’or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
BRIANA SHIMKOSKI as ALISON (AL): Briana Shimkoski is best known for Her Deadly Game (2025), Artboy (2023) and When You Get Home (2024). As an actress, she is excited to be playing the role of Al and is looking forward to bringing the character to life. Briana has a genuine love for acting and is grateful to be part of this project.
GROVER MCCANTS as GRAY: Born in Detroit, Michigan Grover has been an actor since the age of 5 years old. An experienced lead, character actor and voice artist, Grover has appeared in over 100 film, television and theater productions over the course of his career. A producer, director and media professional, Grover has done hundreds of commercials and documentaries on both sides of the camera. Married Father of 3 and Grandfather of 2 Grover McCants is a family oriented grounded professional who can deliver whatever a production needs. Grover attended Clark Atlanta, Wayne State, and Grand Canyon Universities. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Masters in Psychology and Business Administration as well as a Life Coaching Certification.
MATTHEW WALKER as THEO POCKETS (a.k.a. THE "DEAD" BODY): Matthew Walker is an actor/writer/comedian based in Orlando, Fl. His comedy duo, Wallares, has brought its cutting edge improv comedy all over the country. He has starred in many films such as Miniature Man, The Godfathers, Beanbag, and Jellyfish Season- which he also wrote.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"PUT HIM IN THE BACKSEAT. THE TRUNK DON'T WORK." -Gray
In the dog days of Tampa summer, two hitmen, one a listless old man (Gray), the other a pregnant newbie (Al), take a detour for Cuban sandwiches without realizing the body in the backseat of their car isn’t dead, leading to a showdown between the world-wearied old man and the skittish first-timer in a knee-jerk explosion of cunning and violence.
Through a distinct and colorful lens, the true goal of Cubano is to capture the culture and texture of Tampa. The Cubano, symbolizing Tampa's melting pot culture and working class, propels our characters into a deeper conversation of wealth and circumstance before disaster hilariously ensues.
"I GUESS YOU AIN'T SO BAD. YOU CAME OFF LIKE ONE OF THEM BRONSON DUDES...STERN AS HELL." --Al
Cubano is about pinpointing a time, place, and aesthetic: that gross, sticky humidity. Biting into a sizzling hot, crunchy Cuban sandwich in 99 degree weather as beads of sweat catch on your brow. It celebrates the melting pot of cultures existent in Tampa long before anyone noticed, and it laments the current economic spiral we’re currently facing. It questions what depths will one go to in order to make ends meet. Can an old man erase his gambling debts in underground Ybor dice games? Can a pregnant woman pull-off one hit in order to pay her medical expenses? Can she fight through the grief of losing her career criminal boyfriend and find a better life in a state that actively tries to kill her every year between the low pay and the endless hurricanes?
Is happiness possible on the fringes, and if you do manage to make it out, where can you go?
Florida has the duality of seeming like a paradise to some and a humid prison to others. It just depends who you are and where you are.
"IF THEY PUT MAYO, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO ON IT, I'M KICKING YOU IN THE TEETH" --Gray
That's me, James Leming, on the set of my previous film #toxic_positivity that Destiny Greer (prod. Jellyfish Season, Peppermint Pixie Dream Girl) and I made together, and that's my little philosophy on Cuban sandwiches. If there's lettuce, tomato, and mayo on it: I'm ordering nothing and walking out. I've had multiple arguments with friends over this, and somehow those conversations came back while writing.
I've lived in Florida for almost 12 years, and I find it to be a whacky place of duality. Cubano is about many things: imposter syndrome, the inability to make ends meet in a place where many seem to be thriving while the rest of us toil away, and finding common ground with a fellow human being despite feeling as though it were impossible. Al and Gray find themselves in this very situation while chowing down on delicious Cubanos. I want to capture Tampa's eccentricities and working class in a tangible fashion because I'm one of them--and even if you're not currently living in Florida: you are, too. America's a melting pot, and that's beautiful. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that fact, and it can happen in the strangest of situations...even if its an argument in a breakroom over what belongs on a Cubano (true story).
I'm currently a film production professor at the University of Tampa's department of Film, Animation, and New Media. In conjunction with my colleagues Destiny Greer (producer, actor, and FMX staff assistant) and Paul De Lumen (cinematographer and Assistant Professor, FMX), we excitedly aim to hire local Tampa professionals as well as host multiple young UTampa FMX filmmakers to work with us.
Curious to know more about me? Check out my demo reel:
Your donation goes directly towards funding the following production needs: location fees (Cubano restaurant), equipment rental fees (camera team and grip trucks), food for the cast and crew (keep us going), Art Department (costuming/props/sfx) and more. Though we have secured some funding, we need your help to get us through production! We're UTampa film professors hiring local Tampa professionals and promising young UTampa FMX filmmakers, so any help you can offer is MAJOR!
$5,000 is the minimum amount we need to get this project off the ground. Stretch goals allow not only for better, more varied equipment, locations, and talent, but it also equates to a deeper, more enriching experience for the University of Tampa students learning by working on our set. Similarly, the more money we can raise past that goal, the more money we can pay to our diligent and hardworking crew who make these projects possible. Our above the line team is the last to be paid out working gift in kind.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Lodging For Actors
Costs $1,200
We'd like to make sure our actors are nice and cozy, with a relaxing place to rest their heads between shooting days.
Location Cost
Costs $1,000
Help us grab an absolute sick location!!! (Adds to the production value and helps build the aesthetic of the story)
Local Road Closure
Costs $350
Help us pay to block a local road for safety (we're using a car rig, after all)
Police Escort For Road Closure
Costs $300
Help us remain safe while shooting on local roads
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER & DIRECTOR- JAMES LEMING: James Leming is an independent filmmaker and educator who focuses largely on the world of underground and cult films. In his work, he has addressed hefty topics such as mental health, the human condition and existential crises through the lens of absurdist satire. Leming's expertise ranges from writing, directing, editing and film criticism. His films have screened worldwide, with two netting a streaming distribution deal with Troma Entertainment, the longest running independent film studio. His most recent, #toxic_positivity, is being distributed via Film Florida’s newest streaming app as a premiere Florida film.
PRODUCER- DESTINY GREER: Destiny Greer (she/her) is a graduate from the University of Tampa where she received her BA in Theatre and Visual Arts with a minor in Film and Media. Destiny’s works typically focuses on feminist aesthetics and human rights issues and she looks for other creatives with a uniqueness of vison. She is a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, an activist at heart, and an ally to many. Her most notable producing credits include feature film, Jellyfish Season (produced by), short films Peppermint Pixie Dream Girl (produced by) and #toxic_positivity (produced by) and upcoming feature film, In Bloom. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games like Diablo, painting, photography, traveling, and spending time with her partner, Colter, and their two cats Sasha (23yrs) and Slink (4yrs).
CINEMATOGRAPHER- PAUL DE LUMEN: Paul is an award winning Filipino-American Cinematographer that works in both narrative and documentary filmmaking. His work has screened in Cannes, Sundance, Berlinale, Tribeca, and Tokyo Film Festival. Commercially, his clients include Netflix, Apple+, Adidas, Nike, PBS and History Channel. Recently, he lensed John Travolta’s writing/directing feature debut Propeller: One-Way Night Coach, which earned an honorary Palm D’or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
BRIANA SHIMKOSKI as ALISON (AL): Briana Shimkoski is best known for Her Deadly Game (2025), Artboy (2023) and When You Get Home (2024). As an actress, she is excited to be playing the role of Al and is looking forward to bringing the character to life. Briana has a genuine love for acting and is grateful to be part of this project.
GROVER MCCANTS as GRAY: Born in Detroit, Michigan Grover has been an actor since the age of 5 years old. An experienced lead, character actor and voice artist, Grover has appeared in over 100 film, television and theater productions over the course of his career. A producer, director and media professional, Grover has done hundreds of commercials and documentaries on both sides of the camera. Married Father of 3 and Grandfather of 2 Grover McCants is a family oriented grounded professional who can deliver whatever a production needs. Grover attended Clark Atlanta, Wayne State, and Grand Canyon Universities. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Masters in Psychology and Business Administration as well as a Life Coaching Certification.
MATTHEW WALKER as THEO POCKETS (a.k.a. THE "DEAD" BODY): Matthew Walker is an actor/writer/comedian based in Orlando, Fl. His comedy duo, Wallares, has brought its cutting edge improv comedy all over the country. He has starred in many films such as Miniature Man, The Godfathers, Beanbag, and Jellyfish Season- which he also wrote.