No point in burying the lead: “The Greater Evil,” the short film we recently made for the inaugural 48 Hour Politics & Comedy Project, has been awarded Best Cinematography, Best Writing, and Best Film honors!
For the competition, we had the choice between “Romantic Comedy” (our randomly drawn “comedy” subgenre) or “Campaign Trail” (our “political” subgenre), and we opted for the latter. We took a fairly big risk in going with a more dramatic film, but given the nature of the competition, I wanted to make something that differentiated this film from our usual light-comedy fare.
The shoot was extremely ambitious (producer Lee Perna was cursing my name once he realized how many different setups the script called for), but with a fully devoted crew (including our award-winning DP Jesse Achtenberg) and stellar cast (including returning stars Jennifer Massey and Michael Gabel), we managed to pull together something truly memorable. On the heels of our win, we are already submitting the film to several festivals, and look forward to our screening at Filmapalooza in Atlanta next March. I’ll try to send out updates here, but for the most up-to-date info, be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page.
Sincerest thanks to everyone who made this achievement possible! You can check out the trailer for the film on the official page, and here’s a quick plot summary to whet your appetites:
Lilith Delaney sits in a bleak interrogation room, recounting the tale of her short-lived run as Communications Director for Victor Balch, a rising Republican candidate for the Presidency once written off as a caricature for his brash, confrontational style. Despite his glaring flaws, Balch is rising rapidly in the polls, trouncing a more established opponent and gaining a fiercely loyal following. Though Lilith initially considers her role as just another job, she gradually finds herself subject to Balch’s ineffable spell… until her gradual disillusionment allows her to catch a fleeting glimpse of his horrific true nature, and to understand his ultimate intent.
In other news, Tohubohu will have a presence at the upcoming TIVA Peer Awards, where both “Codependence Day” and “Tex: Wisdom of the Old West” have been submitted for multiple-award consideration. Tickets to the November 14 black-tie event — being held at the French Embassy here in D.C. — are still available. Click here to join us (and, y’know, drop us a line to let us know you’re coming).
That’s all for this time — talk to you all again soon!
A jaded political campaign operative gradually realizes the horrific true nature of the popular yet brash candidate she is working for.