For local florist Shannon Pallin, flowers are more than the final, curated composition you see at weddings and important events. She’s spent years thinking about where they come from, how they are grown and the journey they take before arriving at Fiore, her floral studio in downtown Pensacola. Last summer, those questions led Pallin and Pensacola filmmaker Destyn Patera of Lensea Film to Alaska. The result? A documentary called Follow The Flower that traces the peony lifecycle from small family farms through harvesting and processing for their long journey to consumers around the world.
Where did the inspiration for this project come from? Why the peony?
Pallin: When the flowers arrive, I’ve always been curious about their journey. I’ll talk to them and ask how their flight was, how they’re doing and what they need. I know that probably sounds strange, but after a while you learn how to read them. You can see what kind of conditioning they need so they’ll perform the way they should once they’re out in the world.
At one point in my life, I remember thinking, I need to put a GoPro on a flower. That idea stuck with me. It wasn’t meant to be funny. I genuinely wanted to follow the journey, not just imagine it.
There’s a certain peony variety called a coral charm that I’m especially drawn to because of how it changes. When it arrives, it’s this deep salmon color, then it turns pink and eventually fades into white as it ages. I’m always watching that process and thinking about how nature works in terms of science, botany or just timing.
Why Alaska?
Pallin: I knew peonies came out of Alaska, but I didn’t really understand how. Someone I know gave me some insight into the Alaska peony farms, and that opened the door. I started doing research and calling farms, explaining what I wanted to do and asking if they’d be open to us coming to film and talk with them. It all happened quickly. It was impulsive, for sure. I was just like; this is the summer. I’m going to do it. We didn’t meet endlessly or over plan it. Once the farms were open to it, it was go time.
Is Alaska one of the largest peony growers?
Pallin: I don’t know if it’s the largest grower in the world, but in the United States, it’s definitely up there. What surprised me was where the farms were. They’re nestled into foothills, often right in people’s backyards. They live on the farm.
We timed the trip around the peony celebration in Homer, Alaska. I don’t remember exactly how old it is but that was when we decided to go because it felt like the right moment to see everything happening.
What did you find once you got there?
Pallin: When we got there, I realized it was so much bigger than what I had imagined. We’d had a long flight and a long drive, and I remember thinking, I know where we’re going, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.
One of the biggest surprises was that these were working farms. They weren’t just for the enjoyment of the festival. Everything was in bud form. It changed what I thought we were there to film. We learned a lot about conditioning, measuring them, checking them daily for insects and mold. Volunteers and teams of people are out there every single day, checking each flower by hand. It’s a very hands-on process.
Why were they in bud form?
Pallin: Because that’s how they ship. To perform later, they’re cut before they bloom. They’re measuring for a very specific stage: open enough to develop, but tight enough to survive the journey.
There’s a very small window where they have to cut the entire field, get the flowers washed, dried, boxed and sent to the co-op. Once you see that, you realize how fragile the timing is.
Patera: That became an important turning point in the film. It made the story less about the finished product and more about everything that happens before that moment people usually see.
Destyn, what did you think when Shannon brought you this idea?
Patera: The idea was pretty abstract at first. It felt like something at a much bigger scale than what was realistic, especially financially. But what stood out was that Shannon was genuinely curious. She wasn’t coming in trying to prove a point. She was exploring.
We work mostly in the commercial space, and documentaries are different. They’re expensive, and a lot of times you don’t really know what you’re making when you start.
Pallin: I didn’t have a lot of thoughts going in. I just knew where we were going. Destyn asked a lot of important questions, and he’s so good at what he does that he knew which ones to ask. In the beginning, I didn’t have many answers. By the end, I had more, but it really was a process of finding them along the way.
What stood out to you about the farms themselves?
Pallin: The scale. These aren’t big commercial operations. Everything is very walkable. And yet the amount of care that goes into it is intense.
They’re checking for insects and mold daily. Every stem is measured. Once they reach a certain stage, they’re cut, washed, dried, stored and shipped. It made me understand so much more about what happens before a flower ever reaches a florist.
Patera: That repetition really stood out to me. It’s easy to romanticize farming, but what we saw was very methodical. Very exacting. And very human.
Where did you see yourself in that chain?
Pallin: I see myself as the curator or the protector. The farmers put the product into the world, and it’s my job to bring it into the consumer space, into art and into people’s everyday lives.
There’s the art of nature that the farmer grows, and then there’s the art of composition. One doesn’t happen without the other. Seeing that connection so clearly was really powerful for me.
Patera: Once we understood that, it helped the film find its shape. Shannon wasn’t just observing the process, she was part of it.
Did seeing the process change how you think about value?
Pallin: Completely. People don’t always understand why flowers cost what they do. Florals don’t always have a high perceived value. But shipping is expensive. Flowers are perishable. Temperature, timing, packing, all of it matters. And especially for small towns like ours, where we’re often the last stop on a shipping route, those costs add up. When you see the farmers and the amount of labor involved, it makes sense.
How was it being on camera yourself?
Pallin: Harder than I expected. I was very hard on myself in the beginning. I’m used to working behind the scenes. Nothing was scripted. There’s a moment in the film where I’m really honest. Destyn kept reminding me that vulnerability is what you want in these kinds of films. You don’t have to have all the answers. Watching myself learn on camera was uncomfortable, but it made the film better.
Patera: That vulnerability is really what carries it. She didn’t come in as an expert on farming. She came in curious. She was learning in real time.
How much footage did it take to make the final cut?
Patera: When it was all said and done, probably two or three hundred hours of work for about 15 minutes of film. We filmed for several days in Alaska, then did pickup interviews and additional shoots afterward. There were a lot of people involved on the back end including sound design, editing and post-production. A lot of attention went into things viewers might not consciously notice, but they feel when they watch it.
What was it like showing the film at the Anchorage International Film Festival?
Pallin: Surreal. Sitting in a theater and watching people react, laughing and crying, was incredibly emotional. I felt a little out of place at first. I’m a florist, not a filmmaker. But being there made me appreciate the filmmaking community so much more.
Patera: One of the big themes at the festival was that nobody does this for money. It’s a labor of love. That’s true in film, and it’s true in farming and floristry, too.
Do you see this turning into something bigger?
Pallin: Right now, I’m letting it happen organically. I’ve had people ask about funding and future projects, but we’re not there yet. The goal is to get the film in front of people and let it do what it’s going to do. If it opens doors, great. If it just makes people think differently about flowers, that matters too.
What do you hope people take away from it?
Pallin: I hope people don’t look at things from such a surface-level viewpoint. Understanding where something comes from, who grew it, who handled it, how it got here, is meaningful. If you’re coming to buy a flower, thinking about its journey is kind of beautiful.
Patera: Understanding the story behind something, whether it’s a film or a flower, changes how you experience it. Once you understand where something comes from, you don’t really look at it the same way.