Pushin Up Daisies

Plot

Documentary filmmaker Darren convinces his friend Anthony to travel with him back to his hometown in Georgia and make a film about Darrens brother, Rusty, a flower deliveryman. With the help of the blind voice actor Mr. Emerson, they follow the reluctant subject throughout his delivery schedule despite his objections. While filming, a zombie outbreak occurs, and Rusty insists that they continue the documentary. Annoyed with the disruption from zombies, Rusty attempts to shoot around them and maintain his creative vision, which does not allow for zombies in his artistic documentary.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Crawfordville and Washington, Georgia. It was shot on a consumer video camera and presented as found footage. Franklin conceived of the idea for the film while driving through a quiet town on the way to shoot a documentary. He began to brainstorm ideas with a friend, eventually deciding on a story that involves a documentary filmmaker who refuses to acknowledge a supernatural disaster. Shooting began in 2007 and ended in 2009.

Release

Pushin Up Daisies premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival on April 16, 2010. It was later shown at Athfest on July 25, 2010. Franklin turned to Kickstarter to raise funds for distribution.

Reception

Mark Bell of Film Threat rated it 4/5 stars and called it "a fun, entertaining film on a number of levels". Andrew Shearer of the Athens Banner-Herald wrote that the film avoids the common pitfalls of both mockumentaries and zombie films.