A comedy feature film that was written in Footscray and filmed in Williamstown has won a major award in the United States.
The Heckler, depicting the life of a stand-up comedian who becomes possessed by the spirit of a jealous heckler, won the ‘best ensemble’ award at the LA Comedy Festival.
The film follows the comedian’s journey to reclaim his body before his career falls apart due to the jealous one.
Produced by The Comedy Cartel, a partnership of writer Steve Mitchell and director Ben Plazzer,
The Heckler was well received by filmmakers and comedy aficionados at the LA festival.
The script was adapted from a short story written five years ago by Mitchell, who developed the storyline into a feature-length screenplay.
The actors chosen boosted the chances for the film going up to
the award, Mitchell said. “There’s a great mix and we have some nice cameos from comedians like Tony Martin, Jeff Green and others.
“We spent a lot of time thinking about
the best actors to play these roles in the
film and we’re really happy with who we
chose; they’re all fantastic and worked so well together.”
Hollywood guru and
Hidden Tools of Comedy author Steve Kaplan has described The Heckler as “a delightfully charming comedy … wonderfully witty! For once an LOL that is really an LOL!”
Mitchell is now hoping for a successful film debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April. Check out www.facebook.com/TheHecklerMovie.
Ebru Halimoff
