The Flowerkeeper
Sarasota, Florida | Film Short
Documentary, Nature
The Flowerkeeper is a documentary about determination, authenticity, community, and our connection to the planet. Filmed in Myakka, Florida, it explores the poetry of seasons, the labor of sustainable farming, and the power of choosing meaningful, small-scale living in the face of a changing world.
The Flowerkeeper
Sarasota, Florida | Film Short
Documentary, Nature
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,638 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
44 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
The Flowerkeeper is a documentary about determination, authenticity, community, and our connection to the planet. Filmed in Myakka, Florida, it explores the poetry of seasons, the labor of sustainable farming, and the power of choosing meaningful, small-scale living in the face of a changing world.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What began as a simple portrait of a small farm and the person who tends it has grown into a meditation on purpose, resilience, and the quiet power of choosing beauty in uncertain times.
The Flowerkeeper is a short documentary I’ve been lovingly tending since August 2024, much like the seasonal blooms it captures. It follows a Florida flower farmer through an entire growing season: a year of storms, soil, and sweat. Now, we’re in the final stage: sound, music, and finishing - the emotional layers that will transform this film from beautiful to unforgettable.
"There's always more life. The flower is this peak moment of beauty and nature, the pinnacle right before it’s fertilized and dies back. It's a snapshot of life and abundance… and then the whole cycle happens again." — Sophie, Mindful Blooms Farm
This isn’t just a film about flowers.
It’s about the deep relationship between people and land.
It’s about choosing meaning when the world pushes you toward emptiness.
It’s about slowing down long enough to remember what sustains us.
We are running out of time. Time to protect the land, to value slowness, to remember how to live in relationship with the earth. The Flowerkeeper offers a counter-narrative in a moment of climate collapse, overdevelopment, and disconnection. It’s a reminder that growing something beautiful (intentionally, sustainably, and with care) is still a radical act.
You should back this project if you:
- Believe in regenerative agriculture and organic growing
- Want to amplify women-led creative and agricultural work
- Care about Florida’s ecosystems and protecting natural beauty
- Value storytelling that encourages reflection and connection
This film holds up a mirror to the life many of us crave: rooted in purpose, aligned with nature, built on something deeper than profit or speed.
We need stories like this now, before we forget how to live them. This film invites audiences to reconnect with what sustains us: land, purpose, and the quiet courage it takes to live in alignment with both. In seeing Sophie create beauty out of uncertainty, we are reminded: we can, too.
If you’ve ever:
- Planted a seed
- Started over
- Or stood in a field and felt small, yet so massively connected...
This story is for you.
We’ve already shot and edited the bulk of the film. What we need now is support to bring the final layer to life:
- Sound design and mix
- Original healing score
- Creation of educational and outreach materials
- Film festival submission fees
We aim to lock picture by July and premiere the film at festivals starting Fall 2025. Backers will receive early access before public release. We’re asking for $3,000 to complete this post-production phase. Every contribution, share, and comment helps us cross the finish line.
This is a timely, tender story about one woman’s impact and the ripple effect of living a life in integrity.
"We're from nature. We're a part of this. It feels so good to be close to it. I was just a regular person until I was unhappy and I was like, what do I want? I wanted to live simpler and grow my food and live close to nature. Just live with the things that I really value. Time, fresh air, growing something, feeding myself, being with friends and family. That's it." - Sophie
Anything we raise beyond our initial goal will go directly towards expanding the film’s reach and impact. Additional funds will help us:
- Cover Seed&Spark’s platform fees
- Create educational materials for classrooms, farming networks, and community groups
- Organize more community and festival screenings, especially in Florida and other regions where sustainable agriculture matters most
Every extra dollar helps this story go further, sparking conversations, planting seeds, and bringing people together around beauty, care, and nature.
Films like The Flowerkeeper don’t just tell stories, they spark transformation. They remind people that small-scale, heart-led living still matters. That reconnecting with nature can be the beginning of something life-changing. That starting over isn’t weakness, it’s courage.
We’re releasing this film at a time when:
- Climate anxiety is on the rise
- Local farms everywhere are under threat
- Women in agriculture are underrepresented
- And many of us are yearning for stories with heart
"Most of the flowers we have in the US are imported, they're grown in factory greenhouses. The workers wear gas masks because of the amount of chemicals. The flowers are dipped in chemicals, they're shipped to airports and fumigated with more chemicals. So, I became very passionate about growing organically in harmony with nature, teaching people about how to do it, learning as much as I can." — Sophie
I’m a filmmaker who specializes in poetic nonfiction: stories that unfold gently and linger long after their final frame. I make films that transform and uplift improbable protagonists: freshwater mussels, an unconventional ballerina in Baltimore, a talking Yucca, to name a few.
So when I met Sophie, I immediately recognized another kind of unlikely hero. Her life is quietly revolutionary: building a business rooted in care, resisting industrial norms, and choosing to grow beauty, season by season, in a world that moves too fast. Her farm, like this film, is a labor of love. Neither came easy. But both are acts of devotion. To nature, to community, to a slower and more intentional way of living.
That's what I do, too.
I make films with my own two hands. Not because it’s easier, but because it allows me to listen more deeply, respond more quickly, feel the story move through space and time. Working solo means I can move slowly, intimately, and with intention. It means I can spend a sunrise barefoot in a field, waiting for the exact right light. It means I can earn trust gently, and let real stories unfold on their own time.
Without the pressure of a big crew or rushed production schedule, I’m able to create films that are more luminant, more personal, and more attuned to the emotional rhythm of the people and places I’m documenting. It’s not fast. It’s not loud. But it’s real.
And that, like The Flowerkeeper's, is the kind of story I want to tell.
- Pledge what you can—even $5, $25, or $50 makes a difference
- Share this campaign with someone who loves flowers, farming, or nature-centered cinema
- Use this caption to help us grow:
“Support The Flowerkeeper: a poetic doc about farming, resilience, and Florida’s wild beauty. Help it bloom → seedandspark.com/fund/the-flowerkeeper”
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From the petals to the pixels, this film has been an act of deep care. Thank you for supporting stories that breathe, root, and bloom.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Custom Healing Score
Costs $1,000
A sound bath practitioner will compose an ethereal, restorative soundtrack to mirror the cycles of nature and emphasize the story's emotion.
Professional Sound Design
Costs $1,000
We’ll bring in a sound designer to sculpt a rich, immersive sonic world; bringing to life the wind, soil, bees, and storms.
Festival Submissions, Impact & Outreach
Costs $1,000
We aim to bring this story to audiences who care deeply about farming, ecology, and Florida’s future.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About the director:
Nora Jane Long tells real stories about the most important issues you’ve never heard about. Bold enough to dive headfirst into the muddy depths of a mangrove forest, quick enough to track the elusive two-toed sloth through a tropical canopy, her lens is always focused on the greenest, most delicious, most captivating details. Equally, excessively passionate about humans, critters, and plants, her work explores the intersection of all three.
An Emmy-nominated, multi-hyphenate filmmaker, her issue-focused work has screened at film festivals around the world, been broadcast on PBS and Good Morning America, and used as an advocacy tool by dozens of non-profit organizations and community groups. Her films have received support from PNC Bank, the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, Southern Exposure, and more. She holds an MFA in Film and Television Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she was an honors scholar.
Director's note:
I’ve always been drawn to stories about our connection to the natural world and to the people who work, often against the odds, to protect and preserve it. The Flowerkeeper is one of those rare stories that holds both beauty and purpose. It follows a woman who has chosen a different path - one rooted in intention, creativity, and care for the land. In doing so, she’s created a life that reflects her values, even when it’s not the easiest or most convenient choice.
This film is incredibly special to me. Not only is it the most visually beautiful project I’ve ever worked on, it’s also the most personally meaningful. At its core, it’s a story about rejecting the status quo, believing in your vision, and trusting that small, quiet choices can have a big impact.
I believe deeply in the power of women supporting one another, especially when we choose paths that challenge mainstream definitions of success. The Flowerkeeper is a love letter to that kind of courage, and a celebration of building something true to yourself, even when the world isn’t watching.
— Nora Jane Long
Director, The Flowerkeeper
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What began as a simple portrait of a small farm and the person who tends it has grown into a meditation on purpose, resilience, and the quiet power of choosing beauty in uncertain times.
The Flowerkeeper is a short documentary I’ve been lovingly tending since August 2024, much like the seasonal blooms it captures. It follows a Florida flower farmer through an entire growing season: a year of storms, soil, and sweat. Now, we’re in the final stage: sound, music, and finishing - the emotional layers that will transform this film from beautiful to unforgettable.
"There's always more life. The flower is this peak moment of beauty and nature, the pinnacle right before it’s fertilized and dies back. It's a snapshot of life and abundance… and then the whole cycle happens again." — Sophie, Mindful Blooms Farm
This isn’t just a film about flowers.
It’s about the deep relationship between people and land.
It’s about choosing meaning when the world pushes you toward emptiness.
It’s about slowing down long enough to remember what sustains us.
We are running out of time. Time to protect the land, to value slowness, to remember how to live in relationship with the earth. The Flowerkeeper offers a counter-narrative in a moment of climate collapse, overdevelopment, and disconnection. It’s a reminder that growing something beautiful (intentionally, sustainably, and with care) is still a radical act.
You should back this project if you:
- Believe in regenerative agriculture and organic growing
- Want to amplify women-led creative and agricultural work
- Care about Florida’s ecosystems and protecting natural beauty
- Value storytelling that encourages reflection and connection
This film holds up a mirror to the life many of us crave: rooted in purpose, aligned with nature, built on something deeper than profit or speed.
We need stories like this now, before we forget how to live them. This film invites audiences to reconnect with what sustains us: land, purpose, and the quiet courage it takes to live in alignment with both. In seeing Sophie create beauty out of uncertainty, we are reminded: we can, too.
If you’ve ever:
- Planted a seed
- Started over
- Or stood in a field and felt small, yet so massively connected...
This story is for you.
We’ve already shot and edited the bulk of the film. What we need now is support to bring the final layer to life:
- Sound design and mix
- Original healing score
- Creation of educational and outreach materials
- Film festival submission fees
We aim to lock picture by July and premiere the film at festivals starting Fall 2025. Backers will receive early access before public release. We’re asking for $3,000 to complete this post-production phase. Every contribution, share, and comment helps us cross the finish line.
This is a timely, tender story about one woman’s impact and the ripple effect of living a life in integrity.
"We're from nature. We're a part of this. It feels so good to be close to it. I was just a regular person until I was unhappy and I was like, what do I want? I wanted to live simpler and grow my food and live close to nature. Just live with the things that I really value. Time, fresh air, growing something, feeding myself, being with friends and family. That's it." - Sophie
Anything we raise beyond our initial goal will go directly towards expanding the film’s reach and impact. Additional funds will help us:
- Cover Seed&Spark’s platform fees
- Create educational materials for classrooms, farming networks, and community groups
- Organize more community and festival screenings, especially in Florida and other regions where sustainable agriculture matters most
Every extra dollar helps this story go further, sparking conversations, planting seeds, and bringing people together around beauty, care, and nature.
Films like The Flowerkeeper don’t just tell stories, they spark transformation. They remind people that small-scale, heart-led living still matters. That reconnecting with nature can be the beginning of something life-changing. That starting over isn’t weakness, it’s courage.
We’re releasing this film at a time when:
- Climate anxiety is on the rise
- Local farms everywhere are under threat
- Women in agriculture are underrepresented
- And many of us are yearning for stories with heart
"Most of the flowers we have in the US are imported, they're grown in factory greenhouses. The workers wear gas masks because of the amount of chemicals. The flowers are dipped in chemicals, they're shipped to airports and fumigated with more chemicals. So, I became very passionate about growing organically in harmony with nature, teaching people about how to do it, learning as much as I can." — Sophie
I’m a filmmaker who specializes in poetic nonfiction: stories that unfold gently and linger long after their final frame. I make films that transform and uplift improbable protagonists: freshwater mussels, an unconventional ballerina in Baltimore, a talking Yucca, to name a few.
So when I met Sophie, I immediately recognized another kind of unlikely hero. Her life is quietly revolutionary: building a business rooted in care, resisting industrial norms, and choosing to grow beauty, season by season, in a world that moves too fast. Her farm, like this film, is a labor of love. Neither came easy. But both are acts of devotion. To nature, to community, to a slower and more intentional way of living.
That's what I do, too.
I make films with my own two hands. Not because it’s easier, but because it allows me to listen more deeply, respond more quickly, feel the story move through space and time. Working solo means I can move slowly, intimately, and with intention. It means I can spend a sunrise barefoot in a field, waiting for the exact right light. It means I can earn trust gently, and let real stories unfold on their own time.
Without the pressure of a big crew or rushed production schedule, I’m able to create films that are more luminant, more personal, and more attuned to the emotional rhythm of the people and places I’m documenting. It’s not fast. It’s not loud. But it’s real.
And that, like The Flowerkeeper's, is the kind of story I want to tell.
- Pledge what you can—even $5, $25, or $50 makes a difference
- Share this campaign with someone who loves flowers, farming, or nature-centered cinema
- Use this caption to help us grow:
“Support The Flowerkeeper: a poetic doc about farming, resilience, and Florida’s wild beauty. Help it bloom → seedandspark.com/fund/the-flowerkeeper”
From the petals to the pixels, this film has been an act of deep care. Thank you for supporting stories that breathe, root, and bloom.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Custom Healing Score
Costs $1,000
A sound bath practitioner will compose an ethereal, restorative soundtrack to mirror the cycles of nature and emphasize the story's emotion.
Professional Sound Design
Costs $1,000
We’ll bring in a sound designer to sculpt a rich, immersive sonic world; bringing to life the wind, soil, bees, and storms.
Festival Submissions, Impact & Outreach
Costs $1,000
We aim to bring this story to audiences who care deeply about farming, ecology, and Florida’s future.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About the director:
Nora Jane Long tells real stories about the most important issues you’ve never heard about. Bold enough to dive headfirst into the muddy depths of a mangrove forest, quick enough to track the elusive two-toed sloth through a tropical canopy, her lens is always focused on the greenest, most delicious, most captivating details. Equally, excessively passionate about humans, critters, and plants, her work explores the intersection of all three.
An Emmy-nominated, multi-hyphenate filmmaker, her issue-focused work has screened at film festivals around the world, been broadcast on PBS and Good Morning America, and used as an advocacy tool by dozens of non-profit organizations and community groups. Her films have received support from PNC Bank, the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, Southern Exposure, and more. She holds an MFA in Film and Television Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she was an honors scholar.
Director's note:
I’ve always been drawn to stories about our connection to the natural world and to the people who work, often against the odds, to protect and preserve it. The Flowerkeeper is one of those rare stories that holds both beauty and purpose. It follows a woman who has chosen a different path - one rooted in intention, creativity, and care for the land. In doing so, she’s created a life that reflects her values, even when it’s not the easiest or most convenient choice.
This film is incredibly special to me. Not only is it the most visually beautiful project I’ve ever worked on, it’s also the most personally meaningful. At its core, it’s a story about rejecting the status quo, believing in your vision, and trusting that small, quiet choices can have a big impact.
I believe deeply in the power of women supporting one another, especially when we choose paths that challenge mainstream definitions of success. The Flowerkeeper is a love letter to that kind of courage, and a celebration of building something true to yourself, even when the world isn’t watching.
— Nora Jane Long
Director, The Flowerkeeper