The surreal thriller with a crew of over 75% women, Darkness in Tenement 45. Darkness in Tenement 45 is a feature film set in the 1950s. After the threat of a biological attack during the Cold War leaves the residents of a NYC tenement building trapped inside, a troubled teenager must fight against the self-appointed leader in order to save the tenants.

Trailer: www.vimeo.com/395328311/0132d88222

The film focuses on how a group of individuals trapped together in one building react when a whispered about “disease” is looming outside. The filmmakers were both amazed and terrified when they realized the connections that the film had to the coronavirus. Writer and director Nicole Groton explains:

“While making the film, we didn’t expect this idea of a ‘disease’ roaming the city to be something that would become so current. With coronavirus making its way across the globe and tapping into one of humanity’s greatest fears, the themes of our film have become even more relevant.”

Darkness in Tenement 45 is a film that’s deep-seated in Florida roots. Writer/director Nicole Groton and Producers Crystal Collins and Simone Lapidus were all raised in Florida and met at Florida State University’s film school, where they worked together on short narrative films and documentaries. The tight connections and friendships created during university helped them crew an impressive roster for their movie that included over 40 FSU alumni from pre-production through post-production.

Written/Directed by Nicole Groton; Produced by Crystal Collins, Simone Lapidus and Nicole Groton; Co-Producer: Kelly Bumford; Director of Photography by Carissa Dorson; Production Design by Caitlin Nicole Williams; Costume Design by Laura Cristina Ortiz; Music by Logan Rees; Editing by Beca Marques. The film stars Nicole Tompkins as Joanna, Casey Kramer as Martha, Keyon Bowman as Walter, Anthony Marciona as Horen, Tracie Lockwood as Shannon, David Labiosa as Felix, Nicolas Aleksandr Bolton as Tomás, Melissa Macedo as Isolina, Marla Martinez as Isabel, and Emmy Greene as Rhonda.