Die Mahr Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Die Mahr directed by Daniel Wolters.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

The title of my short film is Die Mahr. It is inspired by a german creature, the night alb. This is a ghost that gives people nightmares. It’s a little black being.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

Die Mahr tells the story of a dream that has been passed on. The dream is tied to the mysterious letter that washes up on the river bank at night. The exact origin of the letter remains a secret, but the language and expressions make it clear that we are around 1930.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

A great inspiration for me was The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers. I liked the style and the dark mood. As a big fan of David Lynch, I like convoluted stories that are opaque and where not everything is explained down to the last detail.

What is the goal of the film for you?

First and foremost, of course, I want to entertain the audience and get them excited about this bizarre story. I want the viewer to feel like they might have found this little film in a dusty attic. The look of a damaged and old film roll was, therefore, very important to me.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

We shot the part in the forest first. It was February, and we were all set for a cold night. In fact, it was the warmest night of winter with an unusual 13 degrees, which helped us a lot. Due to the pandemic, I had to keep my team very small: we were only 5 people in the forest. It wasn’t easy because we had a lot of equipment and had to walk up to the top of the mountain. But my team and Stefan (he plays the man in the forest) supported me incredibly well.

I also had the next setback because of Corona. There was no location that we could rent or use, so I was forced to shoot the second part on the riverside (actually a library room was planned) in the summer. Fortunately, this has turned out to be very good.

When the film was finished and I submitted it to the first festival, we won the “best experimental film” category the very next day and we couldn’t believe that we had such great recognition for our film so quickly to get.

One thing you learned from this project?

Above all, I learned to get more support and to delegate tasks. In my current project, I have significantly more people who support me in my vision.

How can folks find you and your film online?

You can watch the full film on YouTube and find me at my website and Instagram. 

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Don’t give up and keep your courage even when it gets difficult.

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