Matt Haley's posthumous big screen debut Friday

It was May when Lewes-based filmmaker Rob Waters and his wife, Erin Tanner, completed the script for their latest short film. Unlike any of their other films, it featured a lead role written specifically for Rehoboth-based restaurateur Matt Haley.

The couple had known Haley since 2003 when they launched a monthly culture magazine, The Bystander, and Haley signed on as their first major advertiser.

In the years since, Waters began his filmmaking career, which again led him to Haley. Earlier this year he found himself working for Matt Haley Companies, producing short films about Haley and his restaurants for his websites and social media pages.

It was during that time that Haley, an award-winning chef who rose above a dark past that included drug addiction and a prison sentence, mentioned that he would like to try acting.

When Waters met with Haley in May to discuss a new film, he arrived to find Haley with his checkbook out, eager to finance whatever Waters was working on.

But Waters wasn't there to ask for money – he was there to offer a role to Haley, owner of eight Sussex County restaurants, including Papa Grande's in Rehoboth Beach, Fish On! in Lewes and Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. "That made his day," Waters says.

It was unsaid between the two, but Waters and Tanner wrote the role because they wanted to make Haley's wish to try acting come true. At the time, Haley was battling prostate cancer and undergoing radiation treatments.

"I thought this might be his only time to act, so I figured if I was going to write anything for him, it should be now," Waters says of Haley, who in May became the only Delaware chef/restaurant owner to be awarded a medal from the James Beard Foundation, a prestigious honor in culinary circles.

Within a month, all three were in Easton, Maryland, at the Bartlett Pear Inn shooting the short film, "Interview, 7 p.m." They filmed all night, wrapping at midnight – an especially long day for Haley who had finished one of his cancer treatments that morning.

In the end, it would not be the cancer that would take Haley's life, but an August motorcycle accident in India.

It was to be a six-week trip to India mixing Haley's two loves – adventure and philanthropy. After all, it was not only his work in the restaurant industry but his seemingly never-ending trail of benevolence that earned him the 2014 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award at New York's Lincoln Center in May.

During his trip to India he had been prepared to deliver stoves to a Nepali village after his mountainous motorcycle trip. He was 53 when he died while being transported by a medical jet to a hospital in New Delhi. About 2,000 attended a memorial for the larger-than-life figure last month.

A couple of weeks before his death, Haley, a longtime supporter of the Wilmington-based Film Brothers movie company, submitted "Interview, 7 p.m." sight unseen for this weekend's 7th annual Festival of Shorts. It will be held at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, running Friday through Sunday.

Waters, 38, found out that his film, which had not even been edited yet, was entered through a call from Haley, who opened by saying, "Hey man, I just threw you under the bus. Hopefully you'll be cool with that."

Soon, Haley was in India and sending footage back to Waters from his trip for a future road diary short film. In fact, Waters received the last batch of video from Haley only two hours before his accident, including GoPro footage of him riding his motorcycle though the mountains.

With only one week left to edit his film after Haley's death, Waters wrote a lengthy post on Facebook in tribute to Haley, explaining the story behind the film: "And here I am. Editing and crying. Crying and editing. One of the perks of working at home this week is no one can see me when I break down."

Now with the film complete, Waters adds, "It was really scary because what if he sucks on film? When you're filming him, it looks good to you while you're watching the camera and the performance, but you never truly know until you get into the editing bay if it's holding together or not. And if it doesn't, it's not like we can do re-shoots. But he was great in it and we were all really relieved."

So now, two months after his death, Waters will reveal a side of Haley never seen before: the actor.

In fact, it's a side that Haley himself never got a chance to see, since he left for his trip to India before he could view any of the footage.

Waters' film company that he runs with cinematographer Jenna Walcott, W Films, will premiere the film at the Festival of Shorts Friday at 7 p.m. in accordance to Haley's wishes. Some of Haley's friends are expected to be in attendance and his business partner, Scott Kammerer, will lead a toast in Haley's honor. Half of the night's proceeds will go to Haley's charity, The Global Delaware Fund.

"Interview, 7 p.m." is a 10-minute film that leaves much up to the viewer, but depicts Haley as a restaurant owner named Mr. Harris with his own dark side.

"Matt had a really warm nature to him that really drew you in, but there was always also something dark and threatening – like you never wanted to cross him," Waters says. "I put that all into the character."

Film Brothers head Gordon DelGiorno says Haley was a longtime supporter of his film company and the two hatched the plan for "Interview, 7 p.m." to open the festival during DelGiorno's visit to Haley's home a couple of weeks before he died.

"I got to tell you, when we were really broke, he was one of the guys who stepped up if we needed an extra couple hundred dollars for advertising," DelGiorno says. "That got us through the lean times."

For this year's edition of the Festival of Shorts, DelGiorno broke up the festival into more events across more days after years of sell-outs to accommodate more film fans.

His festival is unique in that each event features a mixture of bite-sized films, giving viewers a fast-paced mix of the best local, national and international short films of the past year. Started at Wilmington's Theatre N in 2008, it moved to the Delaware Art Museum (2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington) last year.

"I started the festival because I had a sense that short films were going to take off," says DelGiorno, whose Film Brothers headquarters are on Market Street in Wilmington. "People have short attention spans, want everything quickly and get bored easily."

Instead of two ticketed events like in the past, there will be six at this year's expanded festival with an estimated 75 Delaware-based actors, directors and producers on hand throughout the weekend.

For Waters, Friday's screening will mark the end of an emotional journey with Haley – a longtime friend, supporter and, now, a fellow brother in the world of film.

"I'm hoping people will enjoy the film on its own, but no matter what, Matt's death is going to color it," he says. "But in the end, that's why I wrote it for him – because he might not be here."

IF YOU GO

What: The Film Brothers 7th annual Festival of Shorts

When: Friday through Sunday

Where: Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington

Cost: $12-$20. (A $39 all-access pass is also available.)

FESTIVAL OF SHORTS SCHEDULE

Friday

7 p.m. Opening night kick-off, dedicated to chef Matt Haley. The night includes the premiere of the short film "Interview, 7 pm." co-starring Haley and directed by Lewes-based filmmaker Rob Waters. It will include a toast in Haley's honor. $20. (Half of the proceeds will go to Haley's charity, The Global Delaware Fund.)

Saturday

Noon. "Eye Opener Shorts" combines "gourmet" short films and gourmet coffee. Shorts include local and international films, including "Retreat" by local directors Kris and Kurtis Theorin, the documentary "20 Year Retrospective: Arts as Prevention" by Delaware artist Eunice LaFate and 2010's Oscar-winning "God of Love" by Delaware native Luke Matheny. $12.

2 p.m. The premiere of "140 Characters or Less," the winner of the nationwide Short Wars screenplay contest held by Wilmington-based Short Wars Productions. This year's winner was Florida State University's Fritzi Wittman. The film's crew and teenage, Delaware-based actors will be on hand for a Q&A. $12.

4 p.m. The premiere of "The Wilmingtonians: 2nd Chance," a sequel to last year's "The Wilmingtonians" by New Castle-based writer/filmmaker Michaelangelo Rodriguez. $12.

7 p.m. The festival's main event, this showcase features the top shorts from the United States and around the world. $12.

Sunday

1 p.m. Family-themed shorts for ages 8 and older. $12, $25/family four pack.

-- Ryan Cormier, The News Journal. Facebook: @ryancormier. Twitter: @ryancormier. Instagram: @ryancormier.