This summer, the annual 48-Hour Film Festival returned to Boston for the 11th consecutive year. The Festival, a competition in which independent filmmakers must write, cast, shoot, edit and finish a short film within forty-eight hours based on a genre, character, prop and line of dialogue. According to the festival’s website, the project is described as a “wild and sleepless weekend.” The project hits 120 cities, with more than 60,000 people competing with their short films. “The 48 Hour Film Project’s mission is to advance filmmaking and promote filmmakers. Through its festival/competition, the Project encourages filmmakers and would-be filmmakers to get out there and make movies. The tight deadline of 48 hours puts the focus squarely on the filmmakers—emphasizing creativity and teamwork skills,” states the website.
This year, the Boston version of the festival took place in May, and the competition winners were announced in June. Among the winning films was “Love Hurts,” produced by independent Boston film collaborative Malarkey Films.
“Love Hurts,” an action-packed fairytale/romance, was awarded best use of character, best actress, and best fight choreography, which went to to Brandeis alumna Meron Langsner ’04, who co-wrote the film. The film also features actress and Arielle Kaplan ’10. Langsner, a playwright and fight choreographer by trade, was first introduced to Malarkey Films in 2011 after acting in a web series of theirs and cultivating a friendly relationship. 2013 marked the first year Langsner worked with Malarkey Films in the 48 Hour Film Festival, as it was the first year that the event corresponded properly with his schedule.
“We [the Malarkey team] had decided that we would work within the rules of the festival to make a fight-centric movie,” said Langsner in an email to The Hoot, “I started casting actors out of people I knew could handle fight scenes with this in mind.”
By doing so, Langsner was able to communicate well with the film’s director and cinematographer, who in turn were able to handle the production of the film properly. They knew exactly how exactly everyone involved wanted to make it.
The film, which features fantastical warriors and an guitar powered by evil magic, is only eight minutes long, but features impressive editing, direction and, of course, fun and well-executed action scenes. All these features are especially impressive considering that it all was required to be shot and put together in two days.
“We were in a race against the sun,” said Langsner, “the greatest challenge was actually logistics more than aesthetics.”
They were able to overcome their challenges, as “Love Hurts” went on to win three awards and further the careers of the talented people at Malarkey Films.
