Let's just pretend that Martin Scorsese, David Linch, and Pedro Almodovar got together to create a film about a beautiful Romanian illegal immigrant who falls in love with a struggling artist who has a powerful and dangerous family obsessed with keeping them apart. It would be a pretty insane movie right? Well, Pentimento is a delirious, deranged dramedy that follows no rules, spares no victims and takes no prisoners!

Interview with Director/Producer Loredana Gasparotto

Why should I watch this film?

The challenge for every artist and filmmaker is to express personal feelings that can resonate with anyone as their own. I believe Pentimento provides a realistic picture of how modern dreamers experience the city of New York. It doesn't depict a glamorous NY like in Sex and the City. Instead, it shows how gritty, filthy and dangerous the city can be. It's a film about a typical immigrant who's struggling to find her own place and make her dreams a reality in the Big Apple.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I believe that through the story of a poor illegal immigrant like Sofia we are offered a glimpse of truth behind the shimmering ideal of the American Dream. Through Sofia's incredible, surreal, and arduous story, we are forced to realize that to journey through the road to the American Dream is much longer and harder than we think.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The film has evolved tremendously from development to post-production. I am not a Hitchcockian filmmaker. I don’t expect, and I don't believe I should work to produce precisely what I have written on the page. Making a film is a process of growth. As human beings we are limited, and at times our ego is in the way of good work. As filmmakers, we might draft a scene that might seem to work wonders on paper, but that through rehearsals turns out to inauthentic.

At that point, we must have the courage to change it or eliminate it. The same goes during editing. Scenes that we shot masterfully might not fit any more into the narrative of the film. In the end, we must make sacrifices to create the best work we can. The beauty of filmmaking lays in its process of growth and discovery. Through the journey of making a movie, we discover fresh ideas and opportunities that we didn't recognize right away and that can enhance the significance of our work. The only way to express ideas through art is to have them come from the heart.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

So far the film has received excellent reviews. People really enjoyed it. They couldn't believe that I pulled it off with only 20K dollars.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Pentimento has been selected in various festivals and has won the best feature film award at the NYIIFF. I was surprised and pleased on how the film was received by many festivals. However, it took many film festivals directors by surprise, because it's not a mainstream movie, but an art film and the story is about a woman, but not about a woman's empowerment.

What are you looking to achieve by having your movie more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I wish the film could be screened in Australia. It's now available Amazon UK and USA. However, I'd love to offer it to new spectators. Every artist dreams of making their artwork accessible to everyone.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I'd love to be helped by a publicist and a distributor. People think that if we make movies, we must be rich. I wish that were true! The success of a film is a collaborative endeavor. I'll take all the help that I can get!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I think this film can shed a more somber light on the American Dream and the issue of immigration.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I wrote a new sci-fi, horror fairytale screenplay titled Wild Swans which I would love to further turn into a tv show

I actually wrote its pilot already, and I enjoyed the process of expanding the story. Wild Swans tells the story of Ama, an albino schizophrenic school teacher who travels to a faraway land to teach at Saint Margaret, a school for deformed children. When Ama discovers the truth about the school, she's faced with a terrifying decision she must make. I'm currently presenting Wild Swans to fellowships and grants competitions. It won't be an expensive film to make, and it would be shot throughout nature. I can't wait to make it happen, I just need to find an investor. For more info, visit www.loredanagasparotto.com

Interview: October 2018

Pentimento

Let's just pretend that Martin Scorsese, David Linch, and Pedro Almodovar got together to create a film about a beautiful Romanian illegal immigrant who falls in love with a struggling artist who has a powerful and dangerous family obsessed with keeping them apart? It would be a pretty insane movie right? Well, Pentimento is a delirious, deranged dramedy that follows no rules, spares no victims and takes no prisoners!

Length: 87 mins

Director: Loredana Gasparotto

Producer: Charles Ricciardi

Writer: Loredana Gasparotto

About the writer, director, and producer:

LOREDANA GASPAROTTO was born and raised in Northern Italy. Her feature film Pentimento portrays the surreal and nightmarish journey of an illegal immigrant in Brooklyn.

Key cast: Laura Pellegrini, Trevor Swans, George Andreakos, Jon Shaver, Nina Rochelle, Debra Pitkin

Facebook: Pentimento film

Twitter: @PentimentoFilm

Instagram: @pentimentocinema

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnOnKHZ89Hs&t=3s

Made in association with Dennis Valle

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? The film is now on Amazon UK and USA (https://www.amazon.com/Pentimento-Repentance-Laura-Pellegrini/dp/B07FLN7JQH)