“The talents you have, Mr. Capra, are not your own, not self-acquired. God gave you these talents; they are his gifts to you, to use for his purpose,” said a graying little man on the Lumina Theater projection screen. These were the life-changing words spoken to a deeply depressed Frank Capra on the verge of death, and Thursday night they were brought back to life on film by UNCW assistant film professor Chip Hackler.

The short film, which was just over 30 minutes in length, had the audience both laughing and crying in remembrance of director Frank Capra. Titled “Two Hours in the Dark” after some advice Capra received during a particularly dark time in his career, the film documents the self destruction of the great director, and his rebound from depression following the success of his film, “It happened One Night.”

“You have the power to reach hundreds of millions with your films, and you have them for two hours, in the dark,” said the unnamed “little man” in the film, urging Capra to get up and use his talents for good, rather than waste away in his death bed.

“Two Hours in the Dark” was produced almost entirely in Wilmington using a local cast and crew.

“Frank Capra Jr. was very instrumental in starting the film program here at UNCW,” said Hackler, the film’s director. “He was able to read and give feedback on the script, and comment on the films authenticity.”

According to Hackler, Capra was never able to define the identity of the “little man” who spoke to him and turned his life around, but he told the story for years after his recovery.

“Writing the script and researching what is known as the ‘Little Man’ story was a big challenge at the beginning, but it sparked my interest because it is such a fascinating story that inspired Capra’s work,” said Hackler.

The film, which required a great deal of resources from actors, to locations and sets, received support from local film professionals. It was also funded largely out of help from family and friends, and grants awarded to Hackler. The film has been screened at film festivals such as Wilmington’s Cucalorus and the Asheville Film Festival, and won the Fiction Juried Screening Award from the University Film and Video Association.

“It was nice to see a great film like this come out of the UNCW film program,” said junior Chase Kliber. “It’s really something to be proud of.”

“It’s also always been my dream to see it as a special feature on one of Frank Capra’s DVD’s, or in one of his boxed sets,” said Hackler.