'Hearts Want' short film started out as a feature script written by Ruth Maramis in 2016. A script reading read by Minnesota-based actors in mid January 2017 became the catalyst for the short project. The two lead actors from the reading, Peter Christian Hansen and Sam Simmons, reprised their roles as Jacques and Lily.
Noah Gillett, who played Jacques' understudy Marc in the script reading, also reprised his role as a featured extra in the short film.
The primary filming location is at the Southern Theater, a 165-seat house in Minneapolis which opened in 1910. Following years as a garage, warehouse, antique shop, restaurant and vacancy, the Southern resumed its role as a theater when the Guthrie Theater renovated the space for use as a second stage. With the assistance of the Minneapolis Arts Commission, the Southern Theater Foundation emerged in its present, non-profit corporate structure in 1983. (Source: Southerntheater.org)
Hearts Want won the Audience Award in 2017 Twin Cities Film Fest. It's also selected as one of the five Best Short Film finalists out of 60 short films screened at TCFF.
Hearts Want's screenwriter Ruth Maramis won 'Best Writer' award at Austin Under The Stars Film Festival in April 2018.