About Passing Darkness

PASSING DARKNESS is an ambitious 35mm short film featuring ANDREA THOMPSON of NYPD Blue fame and the late DON S. DAVIS from Stargate SG-1, The X-Files and Twin Peaks. Shot between January and March 2005, it tells the story of a skilled martial artist (DEBRA HOPKINS) who must protect her young daughter (10-year-old DANIELLE FAZIO in a brilliantly understated performance) from dark forces that threaten not just their lives, but her sanity.

The picture began its life as an idea for an action scene on lead actress Debra Hopkins' demo reel. Director Ken Mader had been working with Debra's husband Gerald (who plays "Derek" in the film) on another project when he met Debra and they began discussions about shooting something for her reel to showcase her athletic ability and martial arts skills. Mr. Mader needed some additional material for his own reel so they decided it would be be mutually beneficial to collaborate on a scene. But as they dove deeper into creating that scene and the charater, ideas began to emerge that were well beyond the scope of merely a reel scene. Mr. Mader suggested this might make for an interesting short film. The rest, as they say, is history.

Development of the script begain in earnest September, 2004 after an initial location fell through and Debra scored a coup securing the penthouse suite of the Shangri La Hotel in Santa Monica. Written to take place almost exclusively in and around that one location, the first draft was completed on October 15, 2004. It would go through many revisions before production began in January, with revisions continuing through post-production, which as Mr. Mader notes is truly "the final rewrite".

Once a shootable script was in place, director Mader sent it to a few industry contacts in an effort to attach some recognizable actors. Producer friend Julie Caitlin Brown came through on both fronts and got the script to Don S. Davis who loved it and agreed to do it immediately. And having introduced Mr. Mader to Ms. Thompson some time ago, he pitched the idea to her at a mutual friend's Holiday party in the Hollywood Hills (gotta love Hollywood) and she agreed to read it, signing on about a week later. The final piece of the puzzle came together when remarkable young actress Danielle Fazio was cast with the help of producer Collette Craan one week before production.

The decision to shoot 35mm was born of necessity and desire. Fight scenes, flashback sequences and lighting style required shooting on film to achieve the aesthic of Mader's vision. Plus, he planned to use this as a high quality directing sample, so state-of-the-art theatrical production value was required. Though ultimately expensive, the results have proven well worth it.

Since its completion in late 2005 the film has become an International Film Festival sensation, having screened as an Official Selection in a dozen International Fests to date and winning numerous awards including Best Short Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, and Female Action Performer of the Year.

Having finally completed its extended festival run, it is now in release to the general public on a Deluxe Edition DVD which features over 2 hours of Bonus Extras including at 4 separate audio commentaries, a 49-minute behind-the-scenes documentary with cast & crew interviews, the never-before-seen original ending, and much more. Click here to order the DVD and own your copy today!

As a result of its success creators Mader and the Hopkins' have now developed a dramatic television series based on the short, the pilot script of which Mr. Mader just completed writing and is now being read by high-level industry execs. So buy your copy of the DVD now while it is still available!