The Green Flash

Colorado Premiere of the award-winning documentary. 4 members of the film team join us in Ouray.

Sunday, June 23, 10am | Wright Opera House

50 years after the bust that made him famous, ex-drug runner Steve Lamb refuses to let his own legend fade. As he hustles his memoir around St. Pete Beach, FL, we witness what it’s like for a pirate to grow old.

Director’s Statement

We met Steve Lamb in 2016 while working on a piece for The Bitter Southerner. From the moment he started recounting his adventures, pointing out where he’d once buried millions in cash and where he’d stashed bales of marijuana, we knew we’d met an exceptional character. But at the time, we didn't realize the breadth of the story being told.

To capture Steve’s life is to barely hang on, to reach for focus just as he steps out of frame towards the next thought, the next thing that grabs his attention. It was an exercise in relinquishing control. In chasing a character without knowing where he was going. In letting him lead.

We were drawn to Steve by his warmth and charisma. He was willing to share the spectacle of his life in a place we thought we knew. Both of our own families have deep roots in Florida; it’s where some of our most precious memories are harbored. Our time with Steve was a rediscovery of this place, with all of its mystery, hilarity, contradiction, and earnest enthusiasm.

As the story evolved beyond a recounting of Steve’s wild youth, we changed with it. We investigated his sense of time, and we questioned our own. We joined Steve in looking for the green flash.

Directors Ethan Payne and Jodi Cash will be in attendance. Producer and composer Gresham Cash and DP/Editor Jake Gee will also be in attendance. This is Payne’s 5th consecutive film in the Ouray International Film Festival.