03/04/2023
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He will return to Italy for a few weeks in the coming months, to shoot a short film with a still top secret script, moving with the crew through Emilia-Romagna for filming. Thus the Bolognese Paola Piccioli, in Los Angeles for 5 years, she resumes the ranks of her work as a producer also in Italy, after having produced the short film “Giusto il tempo per una chitarra” (2020) which received various acclaim.
“With the short Don Gino and the other short film Idda, both produced by First Child Production, the my Bolognese company and of Salvatore Sclafani born in 2016we have obtained excellent results” says Paola Piccioli “but “Just enough time for a cigarette” it gave me the greatest satisfaction. Winner of the tender for the production of the Emilia-Romagna Region, this short has been selected at more than 60 festivals around the world, including “Oscar-qualifying” festivals (ie which can make shorts eligible for selection at Academy Awards) such as the Odense International Film Festival, and the Edmonton International Film Festival.
In Italy, the short has been selected for prestigious festivals such as the Giffoni Film Festival, Cortinametraggio, Ischia Global Film Festival. Winner of 22 awards worldwide, Distributed by Tiny Distribution”
But also Paola Piccioli, like many young people, has decided to move abroad to find new interesting and stimulating job opportunities, bringing with her a good experience.
“I would definitely recommend my Italian colleagues to come here to California to work. But they must consider being ready to sacrifice themselves, to forget the meaning of the word tiredness, and to be armed with professionalism, passion and enthusiasm for our work as actors, producers and directors. Thus the results arrive ”, says Piccioli.
In 2021, Paola Piccioli and Salvatore Sclafani, both in the States, opened a US operating office of First Child, First Child Media, which recently produced a pilot named after Kate’s story, first episode of a six-episode miniseries. The development and sale of subsequent episodes are being negotiated with various networks. In addition, First Child Media is producing, in co-production with Chrome entertainment, a feature-length horror film entitled The Hermit. The film stars Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Malina Weissman (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and Anthony Turpel (Love, Victor). Principal photography on the film began in August in Syracuse, New York. Paola Piccioli is an associate producer on the film.
“In addition to this activity – continues PIccioli – in these five years I have also wanted to continue on other fronts. I have searched and seized many opportunities. For a long time I was head of production at G8Check, a company that takes care of some production aspects, particularly in planning safety/budget/health for film, television and advertising agencies such as Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Nbc. I’ve also worked quite a bit in entertainment in other roles. Among other things, I also took part in the third season of the TV series Double Cross (AMC), and in the feature film Shaky Shivers, (director debut of actor Sung Kang, one of the protagonists of the Fast & Furious franchise)”. Meanwhile, First Child, in addition to the short that will soon be shot in Italy, is currently producing a reality show on YouTube and Facebook that collects between hundreds of thousands and millions of views, entitled “Pagami St***o ”, with more than 50 episodes to his credit. “Furthermore, with our production company, Salvatore Sclafani and I, we recently won another tender from the Sicily region for the production of a documentary on regional wines, soon to be made”.
Always on the move, Paola has enriched her resume with work in production, as an assistant director, in music videos and short films, and independent feature films. As an actress she has been part of projects such as Three Birds, a web series winner of the Silicon Beach Film Festival and Culver City Film Festival. She had small roles in the film Deltopia and the HBO series Perry Mason, and worked in short films such as VoteFraudBusters and I’m Emily Blunt on a Smaller Budget.
“It’s tiring, but I don’t deny anything about my choices. I love Los Angeles and I don’t miss anything. On the subject of work – Paola says – let’s talk about festivals, for example. In Italy I worked at the Movievalley International Short Film Festival, which takes place in Bologna, for about ten years and in 2022 I was a guest at the opening night and this year I was among the judges of the Burbank Film Festival in California in the section international short films and documentaries”.
Two years ago, Piccioli also co-wrote the comic The Adventures of Alexandra Flapperton III, currently on sale on Amazon and select bookstores (Barnes & Nobles) in the United States. The second volume is currently being written.