QUESTION#1: How do your top 3 favorite films influence your filmmaking?:

I’ve always been sucker for intimate and personal stories that are set against a much larger backdrop. Stories where individuals have to navigate who they are as humans while being put in extraordinary circumstances. All Quiet on the Western Front, The Promise, and They Shall Not Grow Old were all influences for My Over There.

QUESTION#2: What do you wish someone would ask you about your film and why?: 

How did you get Penny Fuller, a Emmy Award Winning actress to be in your film? We were put in touch with Penny through Nicole Roberts, who is also in the film. It was during the pandemic so we met via zoom. Penny kept saying “I love the script. What can I do for you?” It quickly became apparent to us that she thought she was auditioning for us, and the whole time we thought we were auditioning for her.

QUESTION#3: What scared you the most about making this film?: 

No one wants to hear that their baby is ugly, so there is that. Kidding aside, nothing much scares us about putting a project together, except letting those who donate the funds, time, and talent down. That sentiment is true across all the projects we have worked on.

For My Over There, there were a couple of more concerns aside from shooting during the pandemic and keeping everyone safe.

Firstly, since the film is based on a transcript we found about my wife, Laura’s grandmother, the concern was how do we tell this story, stay as true to the transcript as possible, while making the film interesting and compelling. Secondly, we have done period pieces in the past and know from experience that they are never easy or cheap to accomplish. So for this film the question was how to effectively tell this story which would have been cost prohibitive as a standard looking narrative short.

QUESTION#4: You have to choose one to make your next movie: 1) unlimited budget but only a single take of every shot 2) Academy award winning composer, but they're not allowed to watch the film 3) A-list cast, but they're directed using only charades. Which one do you pick and why?: 

Hands down, unlimited funds. On the independent level you are always trying to figure out how to allocate the funds you have managed to raise for the project. It would be nice for a change to take that out of the equation. We are not too concerned with only having one take. I find that if you prepare the actors properly, and as the director you know what you are going for, most times the first take is the best.

QUESTION#5: What's does the future hold for this film and you?: 

My Over There is nearing the end of its festival run, so we are seeing where we can make it available to a wider audience. We have just completed a short narrative suspense drama, Because I Love You, that will make its festival debut in 2024. We are also developing a feature project titled Amira.

Social media tags to share with our readers: 

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URL link(s) to cool BTS images and videos: Website - 

http://delanocelli.com/my-over-there.html