HAMILTON —The short film “Conversation with a Cigarette” will screen opening night at the Hamilton International Film Festival at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 23 at the Colgate Inn: Rathskeller.

“Conversation with a Cigarette” tells the story of a man who faces his greatest enemy: a cigarette. The film stars British actor Ian Hart who plays the roles of both the Smoker and the Cigarette. The film has earned the Tampa Bay Arts Education Network Laurel of Excellence, the Houston International Film Festival Silver Remi Award Experimental and was a finalist for Best Editing at Red Dirt Film Festival. It has also been included in the curriculum of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute Course on Short Films.​

Filmmaker Russell Brown’s body of work includes four narrative features, a full-length documentary and a number of narrative and documentary shorts. His resume includes “Annie and the Gypsy,” “Karen Black: On Acting,” “Mama Laura’s Boys,” “Reality USA” and “Everyone Who Hears This Story Gets Laid.” He is also preparing for a feature film and developing a television series produced by Kerry Barden.