Poinciana Sunrise Trailer (2010)

Trailer for the documentary Poinciana Sunrise, which screened at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival.

As filled with inspiration as it is with art, Poinciana Sunrise reveals the life and spirit of the “Queen of the Road”, the only female member of The Highwaymen, a group of African-American Florida artists who created a beautiful and historic record of landscapes now lost to developers and modernization. Director Chuck Gomez gives us access to the amazing Mary Ann Carroll who, as a member of The Highwaymen, sold her paintings door to door, on highways, and on street corners to help raise seven children as a single parent. During the turbulent, racially-heated ‘60s when no gallery would take their work, they used initiative and pure salesmanship to sell their art. What they struggled to sell for forty dollars a that time, today can bring up to twenty thousand and has earned the group a place in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in Tallahassee. Ms. Carroll continues to paint and is now a founder and pastor of her own church. Her deep faith and appreciation for the beauty in life comes through in her paintings. “…when I paint something like this, my mind is free. I’m free.” ---Mary Ann Carroll The cinematography in this documentary compliments the paintings through shots of the stunningly beautiful sunsets and landscapes of the Everglades and southern Florida. The interview style allows for a very personal and touching portrait of this strong and determined woman who never compromised her dreams or integrity in pursuit of her goals.