SARASOTA, FL — The story of New College of Florida's dramatic conservative takeover is coming to theaters around Florida, as a documentary made by filmmakers who spent more than a year alongside the students living through the school's upheaval makes its way around the state.
The 105-minute film "First They Came For My College," directed by Patrick Bresnan, follows the Sarasota liberal arts college after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a new slate of trustees in January 2023, setting in motion sweeping changes at the institution.
The film offers an inside look at the political transformation of the college and its effects on students, faculty and campus life.
The documentary's Florida theatrical run includes the Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville through Sept. 26, Green Light Cinema in St. Petersburg through Sept. 24 and O Cinema in Miami through Sept. 24. Additional Florida screenings are scheduled at the Enzian in Orlando from Oct. 9-15, the Tallahassee Film Festival from Oct. 10-11 and Burns Court Cinema in Sarasota from Oct. 23-29.
For Hanbury, a 1993 New College graduate, the project began with disbelief.
"I felt what I think most alums felt, which was just this mix of very negative feelings about everything we were reading in the news," he told Patch.
He watched as new trustees took control of the college, making changes that he felt threatened an institution that had profoundly shaped his life.
The new trustees quickly fired longtime president Patricia Okker, replacing her with DeSantis appointee Richard Corcoran, Florida's former education commissioner.
Hanbury soon began looking for documentary filmmakers who could help chronicle what was happening.
That led him to Bresnan, who didn't attend New College but quickly became immersed in the campus community and was impressed by
"When I arrived at New College, there were close to 100 parents at the protests," Bresnan told Patch. "The teachers were at the protests. The students were at the protests."
Bresnan immediately recognized that what was taking place at the college was a significant moment in the history of American higher education. He was particularly interested in documenting the experience from the perspective of the students.
Rather than arriving with a large production crew, Bresnan and Hanbury developed relationships with students and faculty, and encouraged students to document events themselves. The resulting footage became central to the film.
"The students are the heart and soul of the film," Bresnan said. "They're filming their stories."
Hanbury said the filmmakers wanted to establish trust with students before asking them to participate in documenting such a tumultuous period. He and Bresnan spent time on campus, including sharing meals with students, while helping them understand how their footage could contribute to the larger documentary.
Some of the film's most striking scenes focus on changes to campus spaces and programs, including the dismantling of the college's Gender and Diversity Center and the removal of thousands of books from its library.
For Hanbury, seeing the Gender and Diversity Center for the first time was particularly emotional.
He said the space, filled with couches and books collected over decades, represented something that hadn't even existed when he attended New College but that would have been meaningful to him as a young queer student.
"I broke down and started sobbing," Hanbury said.
The film has already had a strong reception on the festival circuit. It premiered at the True/False Film Festival and screened at SXSW, among other festivals. It also won the audience award at the Florida Film Festival and was shown as part of the recent Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The filmmakers also previously screened the documentary in Sarasota, where both showings at Burns Court sold out and received standing ovations, Hanbury said.
Now, they are hoping the theatrical run will take the story beyond the immediate New College community.
Hanbury hopes that the film can help people recognize similar conflicts over academic freedom, diversity and state control of educational institutions in other parts of the country.
"We want to sound the alarm across the nation," he said.
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