New College students, alumni, professors, and other Sarasota locals greeted each other warmly and with excitement as they gathered outside Enzian Theater, waiting for the doors to open for the East Coast premiere of First They Came for My College. The sold-out show was part of the first full day of films during the 35th annual Florida Film Festival, which celebrated its opening night party on Friday, April 10.

The feature-length documentary recounts the state government takeover of New College of Florida, which began on January 6, 2023, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a conservative-leaning Board of Trustees, including right-wing activist Christopher Rufo, who had asked DeSantis to help him “get rid of New College,” according to archival footage.

The overhaul was intended to transform the state’s historic public honors college from its progressive, experimental educational style into an institution modeled on conservative educational principles, with millions of government dollars dedicated to that mission. The board swiftly implemented sweeping changes—from eliminating courses related to gender studies and diversity, equity and inclusion to limiting on-campus housing for returning students while offering new athletics scholarships.

From a cinéma vérité perspective, the film follows more than a dozen students, including some who documented the experiences with their own cameras, and professors as they faced the forced transformation of the school they had known as home. The documentary draws viewers into the firsthand accounts of their daily conversations and classroom discussions, where shock, fear, and grief are palpable as they mobilize into action against the conservative changes.

Moving footage of fiery campus speeches and fervent protests shows students, teachers, and parents defending New College’s long-standing philosophy of independent learning and free expression. Softer scenes capture the tender, coming-of-age moments when students were expanding their awareness, building trust, and forming lasting friendships.

Ultimately, the film’s website warns that the New College takeover is “ground zero in an unprecedented nationwide assault on academic freedom and diversity” and “a blueprint for our new era of unprecedented censorship and political interference in academia.”

Award-winning director Patrick Xavier Bresnan and his wife, Ivete Lucas, one of the film’s editors, took the stage after the screening for a Q-and-A, where they were joined by several
dozen of the attendees, including the students who helped film the events as they unfolded, their parents, professors, and community activists.