presskit_ingl_Agosto.. - Simmia Productions, Inc.

MY MOTHERʼS FAIRY TALES
a film written and directed by
Paola Romagnani
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
27 West 20th Street, Suite # 603
New York, NY 10011
http://www.simmiaproductions.com
info@simmiaproductions.com
Phone: 212 255 3071
Fax: 212 255 5210
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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MY MOTHERʼS FAIRY TALES
A SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC. FILM
WRITER/DIRECTOR:
EXEC PRODUCERS:
PRODUCERS:
CINEMATOGRAPHER:
EDITING:
MUSIC:
PRINCIPAL CAST:
GENRE:
LENGTH:
LANGUAGES:
FORMAT:
SHOOT LOCATION:
CONTACT:
Paola Romagnani
Paola Romagnani, Emiliano Baccarini
Paola Romagnani, Emiliano Baccarini, Su Yogurtcuoglu
Ian Dudley
Daniel Hoffman
Alessandra Celletti, Ritmo Tribale
Marta Mondelli, Celeste Moratti, Kevin Kane, Bern Cohen,
José Element, Anne Parker
Drama
97 minutes
English and Italian
HD with 35mm film lenses
New York, USA
Simmia Productions, Inc.
27 West 20th Street, Suite # 603
New York, NY 10011
New York, NY 10012
Tel: 212 255 3071
Fax: 212 255 5210
info@simmiaproductions.com
www.simmiaproductions.com
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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SYNOPSIS:
When Ariel and Olivia, two estranged Italian sisters in their early thirties, discover they
have inherited a house in Brooklyn from a mysterious woman theyʼve never heard
about, they embark on a journey of discovery which will change their lives forever.
With the help of Susan, an eccentric old lady, and Yosef, a Polish immigrant and
resident of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Ariel and Olivia enter an unknown world made of
family secrets, fairy tales and eccentricities, a journey that will take them back to a
time they never knew anything about and that will make them understand who they
are and who theyʼve become until theyʼre able to look at each other in a completely
new way.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS BIO:
Paola Romagnani and Emiliano Baccarini started Simmia Productions Inc. in 2002
with the aim of producing meaningful short and feature films. The first Simmia
Productions project has been Soul Mate, a short film written, directed, edited by and
starring Paola Romagnani. The film has been in competition in major international film
festivals like Torino in Italy and The Hamptons in New York in 2003 and has won
several awards like Best Narrative at the NS Invitational Film Show in New York City,
and the Fresh Looks!, a yearly competition held by New York University.
The Company has also produced Paola Romagnaniʼs first feature film as a writer,
director and producer, My Motherʼs Fairy Tales. The film is aimed at the American as
well as the European market and itʼs currently being submitted to festivals. Sımmia
Productions has also recently produced Marta Mondelliʼs directorial debut, the feature
film The Contenders. This film has participated in the Salento International Film
Festival and in the LA Femme Film Festival in 2009.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER BIO:
Paola Romagnani
Paola recently completed her first HD feature film, My Mother's Fairy Tales, which she
wrote, directed and co-produced for Simmia Productions. With her company she also
recently produced Marta Mondelliʼs directorial debut, The Contenders. Prior to making My
Mother's Fairy Tales she wrote and directed two short films in 16mm and three in digital
format. Her most recent short, Soul Mate (2004), was in competition in several Film
Festivals internationally (among them The Hamptons International and Torino Film Festival
in Italy) has won a Best Narrative Award at the New School's Invitational Film Show in 2004
and won Best Film at Fresh Looks!, a New York University annual film show. Soul Mate was
also invited to screen as part of the New Filmmakers Series at New York City's Antology
Film Archives and screened in several venues in Italy during the summer of 2004.
As a writer, Paola has published a monograph book on filmmaker Jim Jarmusch in Italy
(“Jim Jarmusch: Una storia indipendente”, Cinetecnica, 2002). She is also in the process of
completing her first novel.
Paola grew up in Milan, Italy and presently lives in New York City. She holds a graduate
degree in Languages and Literature from the IULM private University in Milan, Italy and a
Certificate in Filmmaking from the New School University in New York City. Paola is fluent in
English, Italian and French.
Filmography:
2009
2009
2004
2003
My Motherʼs Fairy Tales
The Contenders
The Fallen
Soul Mate
Feature, HD (writer, director, producer)
Feature, HD, (producer)
Feature, Dir. Ari Taub (actress)
Short, 15min., 16mm (writer, director, actress, producer)
- The Hamptons Int. Film Fest. Short Categ. Competition
- Torino Int. Film festival, Short Categ. Competition
- NS Invitational Short Film Show, NYC, WON Best Screenplay
- Fresh Looks! Festival, NYC, 2005, WON Best Short Film
2002
2001
What If...
First Step to Crazy
Short, 6 min, 16mm (writer, director, actress, producer)
Short, 9 min, DV (actress, co-producer)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BIO:
Emiliano Baccarini
Emiliano Baccarini was born and raised in Rome, Italy; in Rome he attended La Sapienza
University where he studied Computer Science. Upon moving to New York City in 1994
Emiliano started working for Scafora, an Italian-based Company specialized in the designing
of high-end and stylish designers shoes.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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In 2002 Emiliano founded Simmia Productions with Paola Romagnani and produced its first
project, Soul Mate, a short film directed by Paola Romagnani (see Paola Romagnaniʼs bio for
information on the film). Emiliano is currently producing My Motherʼs Fairy Tales for Simmia
productions.
Emiliano is also President and CEO of Ultramoda, a Fashion Showroom based in New York
City, representing major Italian Designers and Italian-made brands like Alessandro
DellʼAcqua, Byblos, John Galliano and Calvin Klein. Emilianoʼs interest in fashion and cinema
has led him and Paola Romagnani to found Simmia Productions together with the aim of
producing meaningful short and feature films.
PRODUCER BIO:
Su Yogurtcuoglu
G. Su Yogurtcuoglu is a New York based producer and programmer. Yogurtcuoglu is currently
producing the American/Italian independent feature film My Motherʼs Fairy Tales in
collaboration with Simmia Productions. In association with RES Media Group, she also works
as the programmer and production coordinator of RESFEST, a global touring festival of
innovative film, video and music, in addition to producing the festivalʼs Turkish dates held
every year in Istanbul and Eskisehir.
Yogurtcuogluʼs previous positions comprise producing feature films including “The Memory
Project” as a collaborating member of the New York based filmmakers group, Autumn
Pictures; working as the second assistant director on Konsey Filmʼs nation-wide theatrically
distributed Turkish feature “Fasulye (Beans)”; producing international shorts including “Djedi”,
a film on graffiti writers; working as the cinematographer of a TV documentary series, “Ne Var
Ne(w) Yo(r)k”; and working as the assistant director on shorts including Paola Romaganiʼs
comedy film “Soul Mate”. A graduate of New School Universityʼs M.A. program in Media
Studies with a concentration in Film Production, Yogurtcuoglu wrote, directed and edited a
number of her own short films including “The End”, “Amorphous” and “Being-With”. She has
taken courses from New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies to
support her professional experience. Yogurtcuoglu also worked as a journalist and published
articles for the Turkish newspaper Radikal.
Born and raised an Istanbul, Yogurtcuoglu is a graduate of Turkeyʼs highest-ranking school
Robert College and holds a High Honors in International Relations from Koc University. She is
fluent in English and Turkish, speaks intermediate Italian and basic German. Yogurtcuoglu
currently resides in New York.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BIO:
Ian Dudley
Ian Dudley is a New York-based cinematographer with over twelve years of professional
experience shooting feature films, music videos and commercials as well as documentaries
and industrials. His eclectic and broad body of work spans many genres and styles from
the classically inspired period dramas "THE EYES OF VAN GOGH" and "THE COLOR OF
TRUTH" to the edgy contemporary revitalization of Dante's Inferno, "ONE THIRD". Always
open to new challenges, Ian seeks to approach each new project with different eyes and
perspectives, drawing inspiration from the past of cinema and art as well as the cutting
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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edge. Ian works in all major mediums, both analog and digital, from 35mm film to high
definition video. He believes that technology should only complement and never dictate the
high aesthetics of art. Ian also photographed Paola Romagnaniʼs 2003 short film SOUL
MATE.
For more information and a full list of credits you can visit Ianʼs website @
http://www.povproductions.net
EDITOR BIO:
Daniel Hoffman
A native of New Jersey, Daniel moved to Rome, Italy in 1980 and returned to the USA in
2003. He worked in Radio as first job in Italy, then dubbing foreign languages films into
English. He also worked in SFX for Empire Pictures. Daniel started his editing career in
1985 in Italy. He worked with the Italian greats like Mario Monicelli, Ettore Scola, the Taviani
Brothers, Nanni Moretti, Daniele Luchetti, Carlo Mazzacurati and Giuseppe Tornatore. He
worked with Americans like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese (in The Departed), Mike
Nichols (in Angels in America), Joseph Seargent, Ken Anniken and Jon Jost. Daniel also
worked in TV, editing many Italian series (like Don Matteo) before returning in the US.
COMPOSER BIO
Alessandra Celletti
Alessandra graduated as a pianist at the prestigious “Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia” in
Rome, Italy. She has been performing in public since 1994, with the release of “Les sons et
les Parfums”, a CD containing pieces by Debussy, Ravel and Satie. In 1997, thanks to her
second recording effort, “Viaggio a Praga”, dedicated to the Bohemian composers of the 19th
and 20th Centuries, she was awarded a scholarship from the Czech Republic and moved to
Prague to deepen her understanding of Leos Janacekʼs pages for piano. Upon her return to
Italy in 1998, she began collaborating with the independednt label Kha Records, releasing
four albums dedicated, respectively, to the music of Gurdjieff/De Hartmann (Hidden Sources,
1999), Erik Satie (Esoterik Satie, 2000), Scott Joplin (Black Baby, 2003) and Philip Glass
(Metamorphosis, 2005). Her CD “Esoterik Satie” became one of the best selling titles in
France and it has recently been released in Germany, Greece and China. Her interpretation
of the First Gnossienne, from this CD, was chosen by Guy Ritchy for the soundtrack of the
movie Revolver. In 2006 her CD “Chi mi dara` le ali” was released in Italy. Her following
albums, "The Golden Fly" and “Way Out” were both released in 2008. The year 2009 marks
an important turning point in Cellettiʼs career with a series of concerts in New York, Los
Angeles and San Francisco where she plays pieces from "Way Out" and "Alessandra Celletti
plays Baldassarre Galuppi" her new album, and together with Hans Joachim Roedelius
(piano, voice and electronic) she also plays pieces from “Sustanza di Cose Sperata”, also
released in 2009. Alessandra collaborated with Paola Romagnani for the music of My
Motherʼs Fairy Tales in 2008. The film contains pieces from “Chi mi daraʼ le ali”. Alessandra
also composed five additional original pieces for the film.
http://www.alessandracelletti.com
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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PRINCIPAL CAST BIO:
Marta Mondelli
Marta was born in Napoli, Italy and raised in Bologna. She graduated in Ancient History at the
University of Bologna and in acting at the European Theater School of Bologna.
In Italy she appeared as a protagonist in productions of her theater company, Chièdiscena,
from 1999 to 2001. She also performed in movies: Quore, Stai con me with Giovanna
Mezzogiorno and Adriano Giannini.
Since she moved to New York in 2002 she has been studying acting with Susan Batson and
performing in student films for NYU, NYFA, SHU; and independent movies: among others
Crossing with Anthony Mackie, Come Away with Me with the Italian actress Mariangela
Melato, The Groomsmen with Brittany Murphy and Ed Burns.
In 2004 she had leading roles in several off-off Broadway productions: The Papaleo Case, at
the Theater for the New City, The Hole in the Bathroom Floor for the Samuel French Festival,
Eduardo in Poetry at the Bernie West Theater, with KIT-Kairos Italy Theater, a theater
company that performs in English and Italian; and in the off-Broadway show Box of Fools at
the HERE Arts Center, New York.
She wrote two one woman shows: City by City, Author by Author, about Italian culture and
literature, successfully performed at the Dartmouth College in 2005 and in Naples, Florida in
2006. The second, The Italian Body, on Italian gestures and their origin in Commedia dellʼArte
presented in 2006 at Dartmouth College.
Marta has also written and directed a feature film, The Contenders, produced by Simmia
Productions, in 2009.
Celeste Moratti
Celeste Moratti was born and raised in Milan, Italy, where she graduated in philosophy at the
Universita` Statale. In Milan she worked as an actress in several theater productions; her
credits include the wife in Mametʼs “Edmond”, Viola in “Twelfth Night”, Madame Dalancour in
Goldoniʼs ʻIl Burbero Benefico” and Young William Shakespeare in Anthony Burgessʼ “Will”.
In 2002 she moved to New York and enrolled in the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory in
New York, where she graduated in 2004 . Among her American credits are the Angel in Tony
Kushnerʼs “Angels in America: Perestroika”. Simonne Evrard In Peter Weissʼ “Marat Sade”.
Elmire in “Tartuffe”, the Woman in Jean Cocteauʼs “The Human Voice” and Celeste in “Crazy
Sound”, an original play by Dario Dʼambrosi about six women in a mental asylum that
premiered at La Mama in New York December 21, 2006. “Crazy Sound” has tour Italy and
Europe during Sping 2007 and also has had a limited run in Tokyo, Japan, later the same
year. Celeste has had a central role in the New York project Manhattanpotamia. The second
installment of the project, Manhattanpotamia and the Queen of Carnival, opened in NYC in
May 2009.
PRESS CLIPPINGS
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
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(212) 255 3071
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Review of My Motherʼs Fairy Tales by CinemaClandestino, Italian movie magazine, August 2010
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
Interview with Paola Romagnani for the newspaper America Oggi in occasion of the
private screening of My Mother’s Fairy Tales at The Italian Cultural Institute on May
27th 2009
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
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My Mother’s Fairy Tales
Interview with Paola Romagnani with I-Italy Magazine in occasion of the private
screening of My Mother’s Fairy Tales at The Italian Cultural Institute on May 27th
2009
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
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My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
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(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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(212) 255 3071
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
Interview with Paola Romagnani on the Spring 2007 issue of Filmmaker magazine about
My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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My Mother’s Fairy Tales
Interview with Paola Romagnani in the May 2007 issue of the Italian edition of HotDog
Magazine about My Mother’s Fairy Tales.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
| http://www.simmiaproductions.com |
(212) 255 3071
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My Mother’s Fairy Tales
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(212) 255 3071
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Interview with Paola Romagnani in the April 2006 issue of the Italian edition of HotDog Magazine
about Soul Mate and the new feature in pre-production: My Mother’s Fairy Tales.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
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(212) 255 3071
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Interview with Paola Romagnani in the December 2003 issue of the Italian Magazine LʼARCA
about her short film Soul Mate.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
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Article about Paola Romagnaniʼs Soul Mate at CinemAvvenire.it on January 11, 2004. The
original article is written in Italian. This version is an English translation.
Soul Mate, An Italian in New York
Sunday January 11th, 2004
By by Stefano Coccia
She’s in tune with the background.
You can teasingly say that about Paola Romagnani, a young Italian
director who has chosen to set the story of her short film Soul Mate, in
New York. Regarding her latest film Ms. Romagnani, born in Milan and
living in New York for several years now, has not limited herself to just
writing, directing and editing her film; she has also chosen to be the
protagonist, showing a fierce willingness of being the sole owner of her
film. If she lacked the drive and personality it might have been too much
to ask, from herself and from the audience. But, on the contrary, it looks
like talent is there. As I was alluding earlier about the ability of this
young girl to adapt to the frenetic reality of the American metropolis, this
prepared and brave Milanese moved precisely to New York, with the
intention of studying film and acting. The love for the Independent
American Cinema has led her, among other things, to publish a
monographic book by the title of “Jim Jarmusch: An Independent Story”
(Cinetecnica, 2002).
With such an introduction it is not surprising that Ms. Romagnani was
able to interpret, with a light but not vacuous tone, some typical
atmospheres of the city she has adopted. The premise of the story is the
classic Blind date: a completely normal afternoon at the park. But not for
Sofia, the protagonist, who has planned a blind date, the nth she has
planned for herself hoping that the Personal Ads in the Village Voice
won’t bring other disappointments. The character interpreted by Ms.
Romagnani is a challenging girl, ready to show a radical chic attitude
that, more often than not, ends up pushing away the prospective
boyfriends. The new blind date though starts off to a completely different
note; with the help of destiny, thanks to which, Sofia finds herself face to
face with someone really “special”. The guy she meets wouldn’t win an
award for being the most spontaneous man, seated as he is with a
“director scarf” and reading a “very intellectual” book. The two seem to
have a lot in common though, starting from cultural references, artistic
orientations and a certain narrow-minded mentality; all this is hidden
behind a dialectic that doesn’t leave any room for true desires and natural
expectations.
Whether the two are aware of this or not, their way of playing their cards
is a modus vivendi, a way of life, that ends up making them feel
extremely comfortable to the point of being able to understand each
other.
And there they are, in fact, hand in hand, walking towards the dawn of a
new start, or maybe just to the next very “cool” art exhibit.
SIMMIA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
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(212) 255 3071