Carrboro filmmakers get recognition for 'Fin de Siecle' short

Local Carrboro filmmakers are getting international recognition for their short film “Fin de Siecle.”

The film premieres Saturday at the International Cycling Film Festival in Herne, Germany.

Directed by Steve Milligan and co-written by Jeremy Pinkham and Alex Wilson, the film examines a married couple’s changing relationship.

The wife, played by Megan Randall, embarks on her first century, or 100-mile bike ride.

During the journey, her husband, played by Wilson, follows her in the SAG wagon, or support and gear wagon, and worries about his wife’s relationship with her young, attractive trainer, played by Pinkham.

“Fin de Siecle” was shot mostly in 2006 during the course of about two weekends, with several supplemental days of shooting.

Completed in 2008, the film runs about eight and a half minutes.

Most of the film was shot in Carrboro and surrounding areas in Orange and Chatham Counties.

For Pinkham, the story was a natural manifestation of his love for bicycles and the bicycle-friendly community of Carrboro.

He said he also wanted to examine the ways relationships evolve and are tested over time.

“It seems that a good way to explore a relationship is when a couple does an activity together — or in this case, not together,” he said.

“Plus, I thought a fall bike ride in North Carolina would be great, visually, for the film.”

Milligan, Pinkham, Wilson and Randall knew each other before making the film, and shooting was a collective effort.

Both Pinkham and Randall were already experienced cyclists, which prepared them for making the film.

“Jeremy and Megan were just amazing, especially for first-time actors,” Wilson said of his co-stars.

Wilson, a comic writer and actor, and Pinkham, a professional baker, said they have a sense of accomplishment after completing their short and being selected for an international film festival.

Randall said she was pleasantly surprised by the news that the film will premiere in Germany.

“I’m extremely proud of Steve, Alex, Jeremy and the entire crew who finally get to publish their work,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.