The Story

PICCOLO VENTO

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Synopsis: ‘Piccolo Vento’ is the story of a young woman who must find the strength within herself to stand up against her grandmother and family. Tracy Herlihy has been living with her grandmother, Lisette, since her mother Heather died when she was a baby. Tracy’s mother held a love for music and this love passed to Tracy through her incredible skill in flute crafting. When Heather is encouraged to pursue her passion she must confront her grandmother’s cynicism concerning her life’s dream.
Director’s Statement: Polarity, conflict, and, discord have taken over our lives and society as of late. Compromise, reconciliation, and unity are disdained in favor of staunch opposition. That’s what ‘Piccolo Vento’ is about; reconciliation and understanding despite ideological difference.
We live in an incredibly fast-paced world. Our generations are set farther apart than ever; the youth is rushing the current of our culture’s rapid metamorphosis and the elders are finding themselves left behind in a world that once was.
I’ve lived this juxtaposition. My family back home is incredibly close-knit. My grandmother spent her life taking care of her aunts, great aunts, uncles, great uncles… My grandfather spent his life raising a family while protecting and serving as a firefighter. These were his dreams, based upon serving others and directly helping the community. A strong sense of duty runs in the family. Our generation and the world we live in today, which is obsessed with the self and pursuing one’s own aspirations, seems largely facetious and selfish. Yet there is a balance between those two worlds.
Coming to New York and entering the stream of the cutting-edge modern world has shown me a glimpse of today’s fast-moving world.  New York is a place of culture and expression, where one pursues their dreams and has a chance to make an impact on the world through inspiration and creativity. These two worlds feel very separate, incompatible with each other. Yet there is balance between them and indeed this struggle between selflessness and selfishness is by no means a new one.
This story takes on the struggle of those two worlds. Tracy must break out of the metaphorical prison her grandmother has trapped her in to pursue her dreams. She can only do it by convincing her grandmother Lisette to break the cage herself.
There is a great deal of polarity in the story. Warmth and coldness, inside and outside, safety and risk, this story presents that struggle. Tracy chooses against safety and warmth; she chooses to go out into the world. However, for her to truly escape she must convince Lisette that her path is right.
Tracy must challenge the belief system that her grandmother has held for so long. This is a struggle that I think everyone knows very well and that is unavoidable where family is concerned. This a story of a young girl who finds herself in the midst of that conflict. It is also the story of two characters with far different worldviews who choose not to separate, but instead find common ground and unity.
Panel 1

The Production

The team that makes it all happen.

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Patrick Hopkins-Director

Patrick Hopkins grew up in New Hampshire and began making short films at age 15. As a senior in high school in 2013, he wrote and directed a 35-minute science-fiction war film called ‘The Courage of Men’. The next year, in 2014, his short film ‘Children of the 21st’ took home several awards at the Hofstra Filmmakers Club including Best in Show, Best Directing, and Best Cinematography. His latest completed film is ‘Maria’, which released in May of 2016. He has worked as a cinematographer on several shorts including ‘Slapdash Vendetta’ in 2015 and recently, ‘Just Clowning Around’ which is currently in post-production. ‘Piccolo Vento’ is his senior film production and is slated to release in May of 2017.

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Jacob Zucker – Director of Photography

Jacob Zucker is a senior at Hofstra University. He grew up north of the city in Carmel, New York, where he cultivated his love for photography and media. He attended a BOCCES program in high school and has been working within cinematography for over 6 years. Jacob has worked on several productions at Hofstra. He has been working closely with Patrick for several years now. In 2014 he worked as a second unit cinematographer and as the head editor of ‘Children of the 21st’, taking home several awards for the film. In 2015 he directed a short called ‘What’s Hidden’ which won within Hofstra’s Campus MovieFest competition and was screened in Hollywood. Later that same year he worked with Patrick on ‘Maria’ as a cinematographer. He has worked as cinematographer on several experimental and narrative shorts within the university and is currently writing and directing his own short senior film, ‘Pantomime’. Jacob’s eye for lighting and framing is incredibly well-developed and his instinct for motion and continuous action is unmatched.

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Jon Bewley – Producer

Jon Bewley grew up in New Hampshire and enrolled at Hofstra University in 2011. He has worked as a producer and assistant director on a number of films. In 2015 he produced and assistant directed ‘Slapdash Vendetta’ and went on to produce a short film called ‘Fado’ in 2016. Since his graduation in 2015 he has worked on several films in New York and currently works at Candy Factory Films, working in the distribution of films. Jon has been very involved in the project and has been working closely with Patrick on the script. He is the Obi-Wan of the production.

 

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Kyra Angione – Assistant Director

Kyra is a senior at Hofstra university, hailing originally from New Hampshire. Kyra has worked on a large body of productions, both within filmmaking and broadcast television. She was trained as an assistant director by Jon Bewley himself and has worked on a number of projects as both an assistant director and producer, including ‘Separation’ in 2014, and ‘Family, Inc.’ in 2016. Kyra has also worked as director, assistant director, and in several other above-the-line roles within Hofstra’s television department. She has worked repeatedly as director on ‘Director’s Cut’ and several other HEAT network productions. Currently, she is also working on her own senior capstone production, due to debut in May of 2017.

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Ashley Iadanza – Producer

Ashley Iadanza is currently a senior at Hofstra University working towards B.S. in Video/Tv and Film Production. She comes from a theater background having done things both on and off the stage. Her training in stage managing and directing has come in handy to help instill a creative environment on all of the projects while keeping discipline and order on set. She has produced many projects in affiliation with Hofstra, having worked with Pride Productions, Hofstra’s media coverage team, and several other television productions within Hofstra school of communication.

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Nina Bangalore – Production Designer/Art Director

Nina Bangalore is a Sophomore film major and drama minor at Hofstra University. She is hoping to pursue a career in art design and production design. Nina enjoys writing, art, spending time outdoors, and cooking. She has begun her foray into art direction recently but has secured a position on several films. This summer, she art-directed a ‘Les Miserables’ themed music video and also served on a 1920s period piece music video as an Art Production assistant. This fall she has gotten aboard many student films within Hofstra and is art directing several capstone productions, including ‘Pantomime’. Nina’s eye for detail and passion for world-building is incredible. She has taken the position by storm.