Jacksonville was once Hollywood before Hollywood, and city film coordinator Adam Madrid wants the sequel.
Madrid, keynote speaker at Jax Fuse Film Night, says the city offers “a world of locations in one city” that continues to attract productions large and small.
The Jax Fuse festival runs three days at The Link in Nocatee. It opens Sept. 12 with a food showcase featuring more than 20 local chefs, shifts to film on Sept. 13 with screenings and Madrid’s keynote, and concludes Sept. 27 with a runway fashion show.
Jax Fuse Film Night will run from 12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and feature three filmmaking workshops, the screening of approximately 10 short films from local filmmakers and an awards ceremony.
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Championing Jacksonville film
As film production coordinator for the Jacksonville Film and Television Office, Madrid has built his career around celebrating the city’s cinematic past while pushing for its future.
“My job is basically to market the city outside of Jacksonville,” he said. “Whether it’s highlighting local filmmakers, showing off locations, or talking about productions past and present, we want people to know Jacksonville is still in the game.”
A historic film hub
That game began more than a century ago. “Jacksonville was once the winter film capital of the world,” Madrid said. In the early 1900s, studios flocked here to take advantage of the warm climate and varied scenery.
Norman Studios in Arlington, now preserved as a museum, produced groundbreaking silent films such as “The Flying Ace.” Unusual for its time, the movie cast Black actors in positive roles as doctors and pilots. Today it is preserved by the Smithsonian.
Though Hollywood eventually took over, Jacksonville has continued to appear on screen. John Travolta’s “Basic” was filmed here, along with parts of “G.I. Jane” and “The Devil’s Advocate.”
More recently, when “Cobra Kai” needed a Malibu-style waterfront home, the production came to Jacksonville Beach instead of Los Angeles.
Madrid says that versatility is the city’s unique appeal. “Our tagline is a world of locations in one city,” he said. “We can double for Panama, New York or Malibu. And we still have crews here ready to go.”
Madrid’s personal journey
His keynote, “From Dream to Screen: Our Losses Carry Wins,” will also highlight his personal journey as a filmmaker, festival organizer and city official.
Madrid and his wife, Monique, revitalized the Jacksonville edition of the 48 Hour Film Project, boosting participation with red-carpet premieres, trophies and cash prizes.
That effort paid off in 2023, when a Jacksonville entry, “Threshold,” won “Best Film” at the international film festival Filmapalooza, competing against filmmakers from 20 other countries. “Threshold” was later screened at the Cannes Film Festival. “Jacksonville beat the whole world,” Madrid told The Citizen.
Looking ahead
For Madrid, Jax Fuse is both a celebration and a rallying cry.
“Why don’t you support something that’s done in our own community?” he asked. “You go out and support all these big movies, but why not come out and support movies that are made in your own backyard?”
