A&E

Weinberg sophomore Tony Inhorn always had a passion for filmmaking, but he wanted to gain more than just experience from the Northwestern film scene. During his freshman year, he learned about Applause for a Cause, a philanthropic, student-run film production organization that creates original feature-length films to raise money for a beneficiary. The Daily Northwestern chatted with Inhorn, who joined the organization last year as a crew member and was selected to co-direct this year’s feature film “We’re the Marvels,” written by Christian Ubillus (Communication ’19).

The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

The Daily: What is “We’re the Marvels” about?

Inhorn: It’s an ensemble film about a tight-knit group of friends. The main female character is named Nina, and she is trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner for her family because growing up, her family wasn’t very close, and they never celebrated Thanksgiving. She’s making a practice dinner for her friends before she makes the real one. The movie takes place during this dinner. All of the friends have these intricate relationships with each other, and there’s a lot of conflict between them that’s simmering beneath the surface.

Over the course of the dinner, a lot of the conflict builds to a head and comes out in a dramatic way as they struggle to communicate effectively with each other. It explores friendship and the difficulty of being really honest and open with each other. I was really struck by the characters and how vividly they came across on the page. We’ve been really excited to get the chance to make it.

The Daily: What steps are left in finishing the film?

Inhorn: We’re currently about to start getting heavily into post-production. We’ve been working throughout our filming process on editing it, but we haven’t completely finished it, so that will be a big project. Additionally, we’ll be working with our composer to produce an original score for the film.

The Daily: When can people watch the finished product?

Inhorn: There will be two premieres in Fall Quarter on October 9 and 10. There will be a $5 charge, and all the proceeds from our premieres go toward the Howard Area Community Center. We didn’t want to just release the movie online because the premiere is about much more than just showing the film. It’s about the culmination of our efforts to support Howard, to recognize and honor everyone who worked so hard on the film.

The Daily: What makes Applause for a Cause different from other film organizations on campus?

Inhorn: A lot of the kids who join the club come out because they are very interested and passionate about the philanthropic aspect of the production. It gets us a more unique makeup for our crew because it’s not just kids who are interested in that filming aspect. It’s kids who are passionate about philanthropy, social justice and doing good in their communities. It brings a lot of people together and unites them around this common goal of making this project. That’s been the best part of this – being involved in something that’s more than directing a movie.

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