Colombian Dark Chocolate

Colombian Dark Chocolate
Short Film · 2024
Status: Festival Run

Colombian Dark Chocolate explores the quiet ruptures of female friendship, what happens when one friend feels dismissed and taken for granted as the other's attention drifts elsewhere.

Written by Irmak and inspired by personal experience, the film builds to a long-overdue confrontation between two young women, with a tone drawing on stylised, emotionally-charged coming-of-age dramas like Euphoria and Good Girl Jane.

Directed by Maelle Leggiadro and shot over four days in December 2024, we produced the film end-to-end - from casting and locations through to assembling the post team (edit, sound, colour, score, and festival strategy).

Colombian Dark Chocolate is currently on its festival run as part of Festival Formula's 2025 slate. It's been officially selected for:

Two women lying on the ground looking up at someone or something with serious expressions, with a colorful mural of mystical or fantasy elements behind them.
A woman with long dark hair, wearing hoop earrings and a light-colored jacket, appears distressed as she walks in a dimly lit, outdoor urban park at night, surrounded by leafless trees and street lamps.

Cast
River: Irmak Bayur  Reign: Scarlett O’Donoghue  Toni: Brandon Benoît-Joyce  Cole: Zacharia Apostolou  Myst: Adrian Mozzi

Crew
Director: Maëlle Leggiadro  Writer: Irmak Bayur  Producers: Irmak Bayur, Scarlett O’Donoghue  Cinematographer: Anand Singh  Editor: Chloe Hardwick  Sound Designer: Liam Bratchford  Production Sound Mixer: George Philip Blake  Colourist: Luke Linssen  Production Designers: Viola Furlan, Elaine Yi Ling Chiang  Production Managers: Zoja Schlamberger, Irmak Bayur, Scarlett O’Donoghue  1st Assistant Director: Zoja Schlamberger  2nd Assistant Directors: Ronnie Bond, Udbhavi  Script Supervisors: Charlotte Yang, Eddie Meakin  Art Director: Viola Furlan  Focus Pullers: Jay Whylie, Darykie Molina  Clapper Loader: Aleksandra Pedrasik  Gaffer: Hal Pilkington  Electrician: Hal Pilkington  1st Assistant Sound: Liam Bratchford  Foley Artists: George Philip Blake, Liam Bratchford  BTS: Toya Jessica Cox, Korede Alaran  Camera Trainee: Marlow Neil  Floor Runners: Jacob Keesing, Saif Siddiqui, Alexander Jeffs, Billy Daisley, Jennifer Into

A look behind the scenes

A girl sitting at a bar in a dimly lit pub with a film camera set up nearby, capturing the scene, with people in the background and hanging lights overhead.
A film set with a camera operator filming a woman in a dark red off-shoulder top and black pants, standing with arms crossed in a dimly lit room with colorful lighting.
A film crew member operating a professional camera rig outdoors near some greenery and a stone balustrade.
People working on a film or photo shoot in a dimly-lit indoor space, with equipment and crew members visible.