By Travis Johnson
Melbourne filmos Ivan Malekin and Sarah Jayne of Nexus Production Group will not be spending this New Year Eve celebrating – they’ll be hard at work on Friends, Foes & Fireworks, a full feature that they will shoot in just one night.
Centering on five female friends who reunite on NYE, only for old tensions and rivalries to spring to the fore, the film will be crafted in the Mumblecore style – think long takes, improvised dialogue, and a lot of emotional conflict.
Malekin and Jayne, who are also behind the Made in Melbourne Film Festival, are ready for the challenge. “For us, New Year’s Eve is always hyped as the party to end all parties – drinking, fireworks, hedonism and adventure – but after a series of disappointing New Years we decided we’d rather do what we love instead on the night; make a film,” Malekin said. “Story-wise, setting the film on New Year’s Eve made perfect sense as it is a night to let loose, a night for friends to gather, but also a night to reflect on life. As one year ends and a new one begins we set resolutions and make decisions and discoveries, just as the characters do in this film.”
“The mumblecore genre is about naturalism more so than any other, and as directors that is what we always strive to capture,” Jayne said. “Conversations will feel real because they are real – though we have an outline nobody will know exactly what is coming next. We have to be on our toes constantly and we have to trust the actors to know their characters and simply react – there is a authenticity to it and it is very exciting.”
For more information on Friends, Foes & Fireworks, check out the website.
