AKOMA (Short Film)
“Akoma” is a post Civil War Era drama surrounding two courageous young women in a fight for love and freedom that could cost them their lives. “Akoma” itself is defined as “The Heart” and it is most certainly the heart that drives this intense short. Shot on location in Michigan, including The Henry Ford, with local talent and crew, “Akoma” tells a bold story with the purpose of inspiring hope within all those who may view it.
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Alex GasparettoDirector
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Lucie GillespieWriter
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Lucie GillespieProducer
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Elizabeth ParkerProducer
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Vita HohmannProducer
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Leah RuffKey Cast
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Lucie GillespieKey Cast
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Matthew RedmondKey Cast
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Harley WallenKey Cast
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Jordan MarzecKey Cast
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Hayward CrawfordAssociate Producers
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John WisniewskiAssociate Producers
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Susu TobiaAssociate Producers
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Shane CarsonCo-Producer
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Period, Romance
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Runtime:11 minutes 51 seconds
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Aspect Ratio:2.35:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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WDIV Film Challenge DetroitDetroit
United States
October 20, 2016
Grand Prize Winner -
National Film Festival for Talented Youth - NFFTYSeattle, WA
United States
April 28, 2017 -
Cinetopia Film FestivalDetroit, MI
United States
June 11, 2017 -
Vidlings & TapeheadsHamtramck, MI
United States
July 8, 2017
Co-founder of Lunar Flame Pictures, Alex Gasparetto has a certificate in Film Production from the Motion Picture
Institute and a six year background in Digital Media. He
currently serves as Creative Director of Lunar Flame
Pictures, LLC where he has successfully directed and
produced three short films as well as a variety of promotional projects over the last two years.
Alex’s skillset and thorough understanding of the entire
production process is what enables him to excel at jobs from Cinematographer and Production Designer, to Assistant Editor on the Feature Film ‘This is Nowhere’.
His directorial debut in 2014, a short film titled, “Asphyxia,” has showcased in a variety of local festivals including Trinity International Film Festival in Detroit where he was presented with the Best Artist Award in 2015. More recently, his film “Akoma” took home the grand prize at the Click on Detroit WDIV Film Challenge. His films exemplify true visual
story-telling and most often center around strong female leads making him a local filmmaker to keep an eye on.
When ‘AKOMA’ presented itself as my next project, I immediately felt very overwhelmed and scared to take it on. Upon further analysis I thought to myself, “If I wasn’t going to tell this story, then who would?” It became one of those take-the-leap moments.
AKOMA quickly became the most ambitious film we’ve set out to make. It has been the best example of what I set out to do: tell stories others seem afraid to tell. I believe is important to begin telling stories that give high impact roles to women, and the black community.
I hope this film can reach a broad audience, and establish the idea that a strong heart, full of love, can absolutely drive out hate within our society.