The Fisherman
On a cold winter day, an old fisherman walks down a dock and begins to fish. While standing alone he begins to remember a distant memory
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Stefano PennisiDirector
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Stefano PennisiWriter
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Stefano PennisiProducer
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Alexander ChinniciProducer
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Christopher WosProducer
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Ryan O'CallaghanKey Cast
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Elle VertesKey Cast
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Kevin GebhardKey Cast
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:7 minutes 50 seconds
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Completion Date:June 14, 2014
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Production Budget:7,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
Growing up on Long Island, New York, Stefano Pennisi has always shared a passion for independent film making. He began developing his skills at a young age making home movies with his friends and family. At Quinnipiac University, Stefano studied Film and Media Production, where he began to get hands on experience with professional software and equipment. Since graduation, he has had the opportunity to work as a producer in New York City. On his free time, he also writes/directs/and produces his own content. He just recently completed his first short film, "The Fisherman" in which Stefano embraced visual story telling to drive a visual poem.
My name is Stefano Pennisi, the writer, director, and producer of the “The Fisherman”. This is my first film as an independent filmmaker, and a passion project of mine. From a young age I always wanted to create films, and when I graduated college I made the decision that I was going to follow my dreams of pursing a film career. I started off by working in various departments on film sets, and quickly came to the realization that working on a film set and talking about making movies was not the same thing as actually doing it.
I wrote this screenplay because I wanted to make a story that was simple yet beautifully crafted and pushed me as a filmmaker. I wanted to avoid large crews, keeping production in a small circle with a DIY (do it yourself) approach, and finance this film 100% with my own money. I spent a year in preproduction, working on the film in between my job, over late nights and weekends. I would slowly chip away when I could (costume design, props, casting, location scouting, etc.).
In the end, I learned that part of filmmaking on this level is about adapting and evolving as different situations arise. You make the best with what you can, and part of the creative process is using what you have (or don’t have) to your advantage. At this level, when you are making a film with such a small crew and budget, everyone involved ends up wearing many hats. In many ways this is a good thing, as people who are so passionate about film get to be more involved in a project, and everyone’s individual hard work and creativity seeps through into the final product. I hope you enjoy my film as much as I enjoyed making it.