Grace
The Art of Recovery is Born from the Threat of Addiction
Interview with Creator/Producer/Actress Marisa Vitali
Watch Grace on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I created the film GRACE to start a conversation of recovery between addicts and non-addicts, to bridge the gap, lift the stigma and help people to come together with compassion to understand one another.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's a GREAT conversation starter if you want to have the difficult conversation of talking about addiction and recovery.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Personally we shot GRACE in the diner I worked in my hometown my first year clean. So it's a real coming of full circle. Hometown girl overcomes against all odds. Universally it's the age-old struggle between light and dark. Do we give in or do we overcome no matter what obstacles may be in our way?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Wow! Well the original script was titled "Miracle Year", as that's what your first year clean celebrated is referred to: your Miracle Year. I had the opportunity to workshop the script with The Indies lab, founded by actor George Katt NYC, which was invaluable to hear actors read the words out loud. Once I felt I had gotten the script as far as I could go with it, I got it to my friend Alysia Reiner to have a read. Next thing I knew we were making a movie. Having director Chris Ordal come on board was when we were really able to start translating it to the visual medium of film. Those sessions were invaluable. We made sure the entire film passed the "airplane" test, meaning you can watch the film without sound and know what's going on. I am a collaborator at heart, so as each person came on board I was open to any and all ideas they had to move the story of GRACE forward.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been an interesting experience since, in a way, I became a witness. Every screening people would come up to me and share their personal experience wiht addiction (or their loved ones' addiction sometimes) for the first time. The press has applauded the film with starting a conversation of recovery and people have been asking me to screen it at their local high school since they are known as heroin high. There is an epidemic in this country and people are asking for help.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
This is exactly the kind of response I wanted: to have people start talking, opening up about addiction. That is the solution. Too many people are making money off of the problem, which means it's not going to go away anytime soon. Instead we need to come together as a community and start talking, start sharing and start healing. What I did find challenging was in a way I became some sort of anomaly. This kind of Recovery Poster Child, which I found to be burdensome. I don't have all the answers, I only have my personal experience to share. That was a bit much.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Grateful to be able to continue the conversation of recovery and share GRACE with the wearemovingstories community.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Having had a wildly successful festival run. What is wonderful is for Continued Press to keep the conversation of recovery going along with an educational distribution deal. As many health teachers have spoken to me that the film GRACE would be a fantastic component to their drug curriculum. As of now they only have materials that teach: this is heroin, this is what happens when you do heroin. This is Crack, this is what happens when you smoke crack. What seems to be missing in the curriculum is: this is Addiction and this is Recovery. The obstacle seems to lie in the fact that most schools are still teaching abstinence as the answer to drug addiction which is totally unrealistic at this point in time. Many schools do not want to acknowledge there is a problem nor do the communities want to acknowledge there is a problem. I can attest to the fact there is. The Opioid Epidemic is HERE.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My intention for making the film GRACE is to have people come together easily, without fear/judgement to be able to have a language and ease to talk about addiction. If it becomes a commonplace conversation people who are using will ask and seek help much sooner, instead of continuing on for many years out of shame/guilt.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Will Janice be able to live with GRACE?
Would you like to add anything else?
Addiction is a Dis-Ease of the human spirit which means recovery is a journey through the spirit. I think the Conversation of recovery plugs into a larger discussion of what is your Purpose Filled Life? What are YOU here meant to be doing? These are the greater questions we can ask ourselves in times like these.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The film Into The Dark, by Director Benjamin Berger that I star in, is currently on the festival circuit. I am writing the companion book to GRACE, pitching a sitcom to network and producing the indie feature Carbon, by Claire McClanahan and directed by Priscilla Anany, to shoot 2019.
Interview: August 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
GRACE
The Art of Recovery is Born from the Threat of Addiction
Length: 15:50
Who is being interviewed for this article? GRACE Creator/Producer/Actress Marisa Vitali
Director: Chris Ordal
Producer:Marisa Vitali, Chris Ordal, Claudine Marrotte, Alysia Reiner
Writer: Chris Ordal
About the writer, director and producer:
CHRIS ORDAL (writer and director) is an award-winning writer, producer and director. His debut feature film, Earthwork (starring Academy Award® Nominee, John Hawkes) won a staggering number of awards at film festivals across the United States (including more than 20 Best Feature Film Awards, multiple Audience Awards, multiple Best First Feature Film Awards, multiple Best Director Awards, a Best Cinematography Award and an Audience Award & Special Jury Prize at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival).
MARISA VITALI (producer) is an NYU Tisch Grad who most recently was producing digital Content for Conde Nast Glamour and ALLURE magazine. Marisa produced, wrote and acted in the short film Grace, based on her struggle with heroin addiction, and has wrapped a highly successful Festival Run along with numerous Speaking Engagements at Universities, Recovery Rallies, Female Prisons and the High School Educational System. One of the fundraisers was sponsored by Amazon where over $19,000 was raised for Youth Services on Long Island. Marisa is in development of a feature film loosely based on the short film.
CLAUDINE MARROTTE is a successful New York City based Creative and Tactical Producer with a Holistic Twist. She has worked on television, feature films, commercials, documentaries, web-series and music videos. Her producing experience ranges from Negotiating and Signing Award Winning Actors, to Creating Accurate & Workable Budgets, to Motivating Crews to execute, to delivering Award Winning Shows on Time and Under Budget. She believes that communicating a clear vision for the team you work with empowers them to find their own answers instead of relying on forced instructions. Organization, thorough preparation, dedication and a sense of humor are paramount to building team trust and respect which is a critical skill for a filmmaker.
ALYSIA REINER just wrapped second season as "FIG" on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, the Netflix series by Jenji Kohan who created WEEDS, as well as the film LIFE ITSELF with Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. Reiner, one of the SAG Award-winning ensemble of “Sideways,” has been busy lately scoring roles in a slew of upcoming films including Martin Scorsese’s Revenge of the Green Dragons, The Girl in the Book, Kelly & Cal and Fort Tilden (both just at SXSW 2014), and THAT AWKWARD MOMENT with Zac Efron.
Key cast: Marisa Vitali as Janice, Stephanie Brait as Melissa, Alysia Reiner as Bridgitt, Zach Grenier as Johnny, Chris Kerson as Trevor
Facebook: Grace the Movie
Twitter: @Grace_the_movie
Instagram: @grace_the_movie