When it came to the production of Luca Castellani and Aly Muritiba’s short film America, art really did imitate life. The story follows Tom, a Brazilian immigrant trying to make his way in the United States, as he meets and falls in love with a writer searching for his next big story. It began out of conversations that Muritiba had with Castellani, in which the actor spoke to the writer-director about his own journey of moving to the States from Brazil and attempting to gain citizenship, and then took shape as the Trump administration’s policies began to threaten the safety of immigrants in America.
“This came very genuinely, after Ali and I met and she was asking me what sort of story I would want to tell the world,” Castellani said during a recent THR Frontrunners event at the San Vicente Bungalows. They started filming the project this spring, just before ICE raids blew up across the country. “Things got really wild against immigrants, and Ali had the idea for me to go to a protest and film a couple action scenes,” adds Castellani. “The protests in L.A. were a little violent, and I didn’t feel entirely safe, so we had to go to Chicago.”
Castellani served as both actor and producer and used his own money to finance the film. “I started modeling [at 17] and have been saving my whole life to become an actor,” he said. “That’s what I used to make this film, and it felt like I got a seat at the table and created an opportunity for myself. This character gave me a gift, to allow me to look back at how far I’ve come and give myself credit.”
Muritiba added that he wrote this film to give voice to all immigrants. “I was trying to create a story about tolerance, about love, and how important it is to look at each other,” he said. “I wrote scenes that would show the audience, this guy is just like you, he has fears and dreams and feelings.”
Watch the full panel conversation above to learn more about America. This edition of THR Frontrunners is sponsored by Aspen Studios and Cinesthesia Factory.
