Brooksville Filmmakers Grow a Grassroots Vision with Upcoming Feature Film

Benjamin Staley stands in as a driver while Director Kyle Marra discusses potential shots with Director of Photography Lief Thomason. [Photo by Michell Hobbs]

What started as a small local production effort in partnership with a community theater has grown into one of Brooksville’s most promising creative ventures. Root & Branch Films, founded by local filmmaker Kyle Marra, is preparing to shoot its first feature-length film, a project deeply rooted in the local arts scene but expanding its reach across the state and even overseas.

“I founded Root & Branch Films in 2017 in partnership with Live Oak Theatre Company at the time. We were kind of formed under their umbrella until we developed our own pathway and split off, to branch out, so to speak, on our own and be a full-fledged film company.”

Marra, a Hernando Christian Academy graduate, said his passion for filmmaking came from years of local involvement in drama programs and theater. “I was involved in some drama programs in the area, and then I eventually started to pursue acting in independent films,” he said. “I’d done a few low-budget indie films, both faith-based and non-faith-based. I was on two reality shows, one on the Sci-Fi Channel and one on CMT back in the day.”

But it was behind the camera where he truly found his calling. “As I got involved in each production, I kind of fell more in love with the behind-the-scenes, seeing a story come together from start to finish,” Marra said. “So I got involved with Live Oak Theatre, where I started to write plays, produce plays, and oversee production teams. That’s where I got a lot of the skill sets I’ve been taking with me into Root & Branch Films.”

Marra’s creative partnership with Director of Photography Lief Thomason has helped Root & Branch expand its visual storytelling capabilities. “Since he came on with our second film, he’s been our de facto director of photography,” Marra said. “And in this one, he wanted to take on a more creative role earlier on, so he joined the writing team as well.”

Thomason is working as the co-creator for the film, helping write, edit scripts, put pre-visual pieces together, and leading the camera and lighting department. Marra and Thomason have been working together since 2017.

Director of Photography Lief Thomason walks through camera shots while Director Kyle Marra listens in. [Photo by Michell Hobbs]

Thomason also owns his own company, OddLife Studios. According to their website, “Odd!Life Studios is a full-service Video Production company based in Central Florida. [They] help to develop, script, plan, shoot, and edit stories that engage audiences. Using immersive storytelling, [they] help make creative vision and video marketing initiatives a reality.”

The film, titled The Nearly Forgotten Incident, will begin production in February 2026, with filming locations set in Clermont and Brooksville. “The plan is to roll cameras on February 16, starting in Clermont for three days, and then shift production to Brooksville for the last two,” Marra said. “We’ll be shooting overnights from around 10 p.m. to about 5 or 6 a.m. each night in Clermont and Brooksville.”

Marra said the production’s first goal is to complete the first 10 to 12 minutes of the film, which will serve as a proof of concept for future funding. “We’re trying to raise $125,000,” he explained. “We’re stretching ourselves, upping our skill level, our value, bringing in people that are industry professionals, both in front of the camera and behind it, to work alongside the team that’s been doing this in Brooksville for a few years now.”

The project has already drawn impressive talent. “Our lead, Conphidance, got big on Apple TV+ for a show called Little America. He was also in the film Honk for Jesus, Klippers, and he’s had roles in Atlanta, CBS, and FOX shows,” Marra said. Without giving too much away, Conphidance said his “character will be uncovering an underground experiment that is having a larger impact in human lives than we want.”

“We’ve also got Eric Roberts. He’s done over 800 films including The Dark Knight, The Expendables, and Runaway Train, which he was nominated Best Supporting Actor for.”

Local connections remain just as important to Marra.

“We’ve got Paul Wilson, whose credits include The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and Big Stone Gap. He’s a St. Petersburg local, and we’ve got a Brooksville actor right there with them, which is really neat,” he said. 

Benjamin Staley, a Brooksville local, has been acting in Hernando county for ten years. “I started acting on stage back in 2015 with Live Oak Theater. I started film acting around 2019 with a film that Root and Branch did called Wayward: The Road Ahead,” said Staley.

Despite a growing network of professional collaborators, Marra says the spirit of the project remains purely grassroots. “It’s neat because our reach has extended pretty far,” he said. “Our colorist is based in Bulgaria. We met her on Instagram before our last film and really enjoyed the working relationship. We’ve also got a retired police instructor handling firearms on set. These are prop firearms, but we want to make sure it’s safe."

“Prop guns are still dangerous,” said certified officer and firearms trainer Tom Downes. “They look, feel, and sound like a real firearm. A closed set is required, law enforcement needs to be notified, and everyone who handles a prop gun has to have some training for safe handling.”

That commitment to safety and professionalism is matched by a deep sense of community pride. “Even though we’re not necessarily under the Live Oak Theatre umbrella anymore, Randi Olsen and Live Oak have been part of every project we’ve done, a lot of it related to costuming,” Marra said. “It helps to have good partners.”

Marra hopes the finished film will showcase not just the talent of his team but the creative potential growing in Hernando County. “Because anyone that’s partnering with the project might think that this piece is cool, but they might also think, ‘If that comes out really good, I want to see what’s next.’ We want people to be able to feel like what they’ve supported has value,” Marra said. “We want to show that as soon as possible while also not rushing. I don’t want to put anything sloppy out there.”

With filming just months away, Marra remains focused on the next phase: funding. “You know how it can be when you’re asking for money,” he admitted. “You don’t want people to feel like every time they see something, it’s just about money. I want people to understand this project has value and real support.”

Root & Branch Films is currently accepting sponsorships and community partnerships, listed on their website. “There’s a list of partners who’ve already seen the value and supported us, such as Clermont Tourism and Clermont Main Street,” Marra said. “We’re hoping to expand that list with some new sponsorship meetings we’ve got coming up.”

Even with its international connections and growing professional cast, Root & Branch remains, at its core, a Brooksville story. “Our team is diverse, and most of our creative team is actually Brooksville-based. That’s the cool stuff,” Marra said. “It’s happening right here, and even if it’s not exactly in Brooksville, it’s still Florida, it’s still local.”

Brooksville Actor Benjamin Staley steps into the role of Curly for pre-production test shoots. [Photo by Michell Hobbs]

Marra spoke positively as he looked ahead to production. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” he said. “I hope we can get where we need to budget-wise. The project’s got a lot of potential, visually and thematically, especially with the overarching villain of the film being a kind of nefarious candy company. You start to question a lot of what’s in our food, which is something a lot of people are asking these days.”

As they look toward the next generation of creatives, Root & Branch Films is also collaborating with Lake Sumter State College and Pasco-Hernando State College to educate passionate students while filming The Nearly Forgotten Incident.“In addition to our teams growing professionally, we create on-set learning opportunities for students in creative arts and media classes.”

This experience is provided to students at both institutions to create a unique opportunity to gain on-set learning circumstances where students can “shadow professionals, receive an IMDb credit, and build their resume” while the film is in development. 

For more information or to learn how to support Root & Branch Films’ upcoming production, visit rootandbranchfilms.com.