Now & Then
A short film by Will Mars.
A working class man takes you on a tour of his troubled life while preparing for the birth of his middle class daughter.
Director Biography

Brilliantly self-deprecating stand-up, Will Mars, is a supercharged combination of one-liner joke telling and modern, autobiographical wit. He is “A fearsome comedy creation” (The Scotsman, U.K. ★★★★).
It’s “Comedy done right.” (★★★★ EdFringe Review) and “If the world was fair, he would be getting plenty of recognition” (The Student Newspaper ★★★★).
Performing between New York and London for the past few years, this English Comedian of The Year Award Nominee and Malcolm Hardee Award Winner, has earned notoriety from his peers and audiences alike. He made his US TV debut on FOX’s Showtime at The Apollo and soon followed that up with a finalist winning run on Season 8 of NBC Comcast’s knockout television show, Trial By Laughter.
In 2022, Will turned his attention towards creating his debut short film, an autobiographical comedy called, Now & Then.
Director Statement
This short film is based on my live stand-up comedy show entitled ‘Will Mars: My Life in One-Liners’. The aim of the film was to use light, one-liner style comedy with a fast pace to palatably highlight a darker autobiographical narrative.
In June 2022 the film was distributed to a small selection of worldwide film festivals achieving official selection status at a host of them as well as earning a BEST ANIMATED FILM nomination at Houston Comedy Film Festival. The film was released to the public via YouTube in March 2023.
The original live show debuted at the Gilded Balloon as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2022 and was nominated as BEST SHOW in the AMUSED MOOSE COMEDY AWARDS. It also garnered 4-STAR REVIEWS from The Scotsman, The Metro, Entertainment Now, The Student Newspaper and Beyond the Joke.
Cast
Adele Cliff
Susan Mars
Sally
Woman with Buggy
Davina Bentley
Lisa Mars
Marie
Declan O’Connor
Al Mars
Friend in Bar
Drew Dunn
Race Announcer
Louis Theroux
Eddie Murphy
Jacob Lovick
John Mars
Jacob
Man with Dog
Will Mars
Himself
FILM FESTIVAL CREDITS
LONDON SEASONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2023
SPECIAL MENTION
HOUSTON COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL 2022
BEST ANIMATED FILM – FINALIST
HOUSTON COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL 2022
OFFICIAL SELECTION
GRAND RAPIDS COMIC-CON FILM FESTIVAL 2022
OFFICIAL SELECTION
© 2023 WILL MARS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.