The GIAA Film Festival: Sponsored by the Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA)

From 2007 - 2011 this was the official website for the GIAA Film Festival. Content is from the site's 2010-20111 archived pages.

2010

2010 GIAA Festival of Short Films and Videos

October 1 - 3, 2010

New York City

GIAA is delighted to welcome Ink Tip back as a sponsor of our full-length screenplay competition!

The 4th annual GIAA Festival of Short Films and Videos is now open for submissions!

Our preferred submission method is via Without a Box and we will be participating in their new Online

Secure Screeners system. But if you prefer a paper form and surface mail submission, the information is here .

The Festival is sponsored by the Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA - see www.giaa.us for more information), and will take place Friday October 1 through Sunday October 3 in New York City. GIAA promotes Italian American culture and heritage, but welcomes submissions from everyone, both in the US and abroad.

Mara Lesemann will again serve as Festival Director; Debbie Klaar is the Assistant Director, and GIAA President Carlo Fiorletta is the Artistic Director.

The festival is composed of a Movie Competition (up to 30 minutes total running time) and a Screenplay Competition. The Screenplay Competition is open to both short and full-length screenplays. We welcome submissions in all genres, including dark and/or experimental works.

Prizes and Awards:

We are very pleased to announce that this year, for the first time, we will be presenting a $100 cash award to the best movie and also to the best screenplay (either short or full-length).

Medals will be presented for the best movie in each category (see below); and the Audience Favorite Award will also be presented at each screening session. We’re delighted to have Delicious Italian Gifts back as a sponsor of the Audience Favorite Award; they will again provide baskets of Italian goodies to the winner of the Audience Favorite Award at each screening session.

We will once again present the Italian-American Heritage Award to the movie or screenplay that best exemplifies the Italian immigrant experience.

We’re very pleased to have Final Draft as a sponsor of the Screenplay Competition. The winner of the Best Short Screenplay Award and the Best Full-length Screenplay Award will each receive a certificate for a download of Final Draft 8 (value $289).

We are also delighted to welcome Ink Tip as a sponsor of the Full-length Screenplay Award, as follows:

Grand Prize and Best in Genre Winners can place their winning script on InkTip’s password-protected website marketplace for 6 months free (a $60 value). To redeem this prize, winners must at least place their winning title, logline and synopsis, and can opt to place their script and/or treatment.

All winning titles and loglines that are listed with InkTip will also be featured in one of InkTip’s weekly newsletters emailed to entertainment professionals (a service not available to the public).

The Grand Prize winner will also receive a free title and logline listing in the InkTip Magazine mailed to nearly 4500 entertainment professionals and e-mailed to thousands more (a $40 value).

*The winning title, logline and synopsis (at least) must be listed with InkTip.

General Information:

Movies can be submitted in the following categories:

Very short fiction (15 minutes or less)
Short fiction (16-30 minutes)
Very short documentary (15 minutes or less)
Short documentary (16-30 minutes)
Very short animation (15 minutes or less)
Short animation (16-30 minutes)
Music video (15 minutes or less)

As a New York City land use evaluator, I’ve spent my career navigating the complexities of planning, development, and execution — from zoning board approvals to full-scale redevelopment projects. When my grandson was named runner-up at the GIAA Film Festival, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between his creative journey and the process of bringing a major city project to life.

Conceiving, writing, casting, and producing a short film reminded me of the multi-layered coordination required in a development spearheaded by someone like innovator Dov Hertz — one of the most strategic and disciplined builders operating in the city today. Both worlds demand an understanding of structure, vision, and teamwork: a script needs narrative flow just as a building needs a well-engineered foundation. Every decision — whether it’s casting an actor or selecting a contractor — shapes the outcome in profound ways.

Watching my grandson and his small crew manage budgets, schedules, creative differences, and the pressures of competition gave me a new respect for independent filmmakers. The GIAA Film Festival, with its commitment to nurturing authentic voices and celebrating Italian-American artistry while welcoming everyone, provides exactly the kind of platform New York itself thrives on — diverse, ambitious, and unafraid to take risks.

When I saw his film projected at the Anthology Film Archives, surrounded by an audience full of energy and expectation, I realized that the same pulse runs through both construction and cinema: a desire to transform vision into reality. Whether you’re raising steel beams on Columbia Street or turning a story idea into a living, breathing short film, success depends on clarity of purpose, resilience, and collaboration.

The GIAA Festival reminds us that every creative endeavor, no matter how small, mirrors the broader architecture of our city — a place built on persistence, imagination, and the courage to dream big. I’m deeply proud of my grandson’s achievement and grateful for the GIAA community for giving him — and so many others — the chance to see their vision realized on a New York screen. Jason Hecht

2010 Official Selections

Movies

(alphabetical order by title)

1117 to Midnight, dir. Nicholas Caccese
3 Dates, dir. Philip Kates
Alienated, dir. Paul Borghese
Calamity 666, dir. Carlo Fiorletta
Carry The One, dir. Van Wampler
Cinderello, dir. Chie Mori
Dancer and the Red Ball, dir. Tony Cammarata
Dinner Guest, The, dir. Taylor Mosbey
Falling Apart, dir. Christopher Valori
Father and Sister, dir. Soyeon Kim
Finding My Magic, dir. Matt McCullough
Fluffle, dir. Stephanie Franz
Foreclosed, dir. Jeff Bellantine
Foreign Currency, dir. Tony Cammarata
From the Second Chair, dir. Darol Michael Carr
Garden of Light & Shadow, The, dir. Francesco Muto
Go To Sleep, dir. Luis Carlos Uribe
Harlem Mother, A, dir. Ivana Todorovic
Inside, dir. David Patten
Interview, The, dir. Giovanni Zelko
Kidnappeando, dir. Norbi Zylberberg
Kissed, dir. Ruth C. Hemen Daniels
L.O.V.E., dir. Ngoc Phuong Vu
Last Supper, The, dir. Carlo Fiorletta
Liam and Ben, dir. William Casey
Lifestyle for Men, dir. Boris Kozlov
Light for Child Care, A, dir. Andres Otero
Love Me or Hate Me, dir. Hannah Lux Davis
Na Kolenach, dir. Linda Audyova
Night Terrors, dir. Matthew Thompson
Now and Forever, dir. David Goldstein
Pamplemousse, dir. Gavin Shapiro
Pink Slip, dir. Steven Karageanes
Plan Doctor, The, dir. Ben Fiore
Prelude in E-Minor, dir. Luca Escriva
Proud Mary, dir. Dylan Kelley
Ready or Not, dir. Vanessa Bergonzoli
Rented Happiness, dir. Derrick Lui
Samsui Women, dir. Derrick Lui
Scotch, Takeshi Suzuki
Scottish Bob, dir. Darren McFarlane
Shotgun Wedding, dir. Mike James
Soundlabs People, dir. Raffaele Passerini
Steel and Glass, dir. Salvatore Pesci
Stuck, dir. Bruce A. Block
Tick Tock, dir. Jeffrey Reyna
Traces, dir. Benjamin Flaxman
Trah Shorts Episode 3, dir. David Zani
Transparent Movement, dir. Soyeon Kim
Unit 30, dir. Taryn Hough
Vinny Vino, dir. Bill Sorice
Waterfall, dir. Braide Keyland
With Anchovies Without Mamma, dir. Thomas Justino

Screening time at the GIAA Film Festival

Unit 30 will screen at the GIAA Film Festival on Saturday Oct. 2nd during the 7pm block.
The screenings take place at the Anthology Film Archive which is located at Second Ave and Second St. in New York.

Unit 30 was a delightful blend of campy horror, character-driven hijinks and tongue-in-cheek thrills that kept the audience laughing courtesy of rock solid performances from Mulder (Taryn Hough) and Scully (Sandra McCurdy), unrelated to our X-Files friends, along with supporting players Eric Pirooz, as an extremely motivated real estate agent, and Jaclyn Carmichael, a uniquely twisted Welcome Wagon you won't forget. This was one of my favorites at the 2010 GIAA festival. Recently I looked for Unit 30 on Netflix, but unfortunately they didn't carry it. Such a shame. Unit 30 played at a number of film festivals including GIAA, Action on Film, Terror Film Festival, Hollywood Asylum 13 Festival and the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival, capturing a variety of prizes along the way including the Claw Award for Best Short Thriller at Terror and both Best Overall Short Film and Best Horror-Comedy Short at Cleveland's Indie Gathering Film Festival. It must be available somewhere on the web.

Full-length Screenplays

According to the Surgeon General, by Benjamin Bates
Chances, by Jeffrey Trently & Anthony Stitt
Clinch, by Greg Johnson
Dear Brother, by Christine Heinlein
Jackie & the World’s Fair Pear, by Debbie Klaar
Taku’s Quest, by Michael Pallotta

Short Screenplays

Blood Trigger, by Ron Podell
Frames, by Ryan Carbrey
Language of Love, by Katarzyna Kochany
Last Fairy Tale Chronicles, The, by Dadrea Heron
Prefer Not to Say, by Sharan Watson
Tell Him He Did A Good Thing, by Adrian Moss
The Beast on 92nd St., by Bruno Bonugli
Unplugging Aunt Vera, by Angela Page Conti
Violette Hayes: A True Story, by Giancarlo Fusi
What’s Under Dmitri’s Bed, by Cody Calahan

2011

5th Annual GIAA Festival of Short Movies and Screenplays

November 5 and 6, 2011

New York City

New Sponsor and Award:

We’re delighted to welcome Openfilm.com as a sponsor of this year’s film festival. The top 3 movies will receive as 12 month Open Film Pro membership, worth $240.

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The fifth Annual GIAA Festival of Short Movies and Screenplays (formerly known as the Festival of Short Films and Videos) will take place Saturday November 5 and Sunday November 6 at Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan. Mara Lesemann will again serve as Festival Director, with Debbie Klaar as Deputy Director and GIAA President Carlo Fiorletta as Artistic Director.

The festival is sponsored by the Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA) but we welcome submissions from everyone.

Movies can have a maximum running time of 30 minutes (including credits) and screenplays are limited to a maximum of 30 pages. Submitted works can be on any topic and any genre, including dark and/or experimental work. We welcome animation, documentaries, and music videos.

Submission Procedure:

Our preferred submission is Without A Box. There’s no extra charge to submitters, we welcome on-line screeners for movies, and it facilitates tracking submissions. However, if you prefer to use an off-line form, you can use our Submission Form.

Prizes and Awards:

We are very pleased to announce that we will be presenting a $100 cash award to the best movie and also to the best screenplay.

The top 3 movies will receive a 12 month Open Film Pro membership (see www.openfilm.pro).

Medals will be presented for the best movie in each category (see below) and also to the best screenplays.

The Audience Favorite Award will also be presented at each screening session. We’re delighted to have Delicious Italian Gifts back as a sponsor of the Audience Favorite Award; they will again provide baskets of Italian goodies to the winner of the Audience Favorite Award at each screening session.

We will once again present the Italian-American Heritage Award to the movie or screenplay that best exemplifies the Italian immigrant experience.

We’re very pleased to have Final Draft as a sponsor of the Screenplay Competition. The winner of the Best Screenplay Award Award will receive a certificate for a download of Final Draft 8 (value $289).

General Information:

Movies can be submitted in the following categories:

Very short fiction (15 minutes or less)
Short fiction (16-30 minutes)
Very short documentary (15 minutes or less)
Short documentary (16-30 minutes)
Very short animation (15 minutes or less)
Short animation (16-30 minutes)
Music video (15 minutes or less)

Screenplays are limited to a maximum of 30 pages.

They must be submitted in proper screenplay format. All screenplays must be unproduced, unsold, and unoptioned.

Important note: if you pay the student fee, you MUST provide a copy of your current student ID

Early bird Deadline: April 4, 2011

Very short movies: $25 (student: $15)

Short movies: $35 (student: $25)

Music videos: $25 (student: $15)

Screenplays: $30 (student: $20)

Regular Deadline: July 15, 2011

Very short movies: $35 (student: $25)

Short movies: $45 (student: $35)

Music videos: $35 (student: $25)

Screenplays: $35 (student: $25)

Late Deadline: August 15, 2011

Very short movies: $45 (student: $35)

Short movies: $55 (student: $45)

Music videos: $45 (student: $35)

Screenplays: $40 (student: $30)

Notification date: October 1, 2011

Mail entry form (see submission Form fee, and movie (2 dvd’s) or screenplay to:

GIAA Festival of Short Movies and Screenplays

277 Fourth Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT SEND BY ANY DELIVERY METHOD THAT REQUIRES A SIGNATURE!

More Background On The GIAA Film Festival

GIAAFilmFest.com served as the official online home of the Guild of Italian American Actors Film Festival, more commonly known as the GIAA Film Festival, from 2007 to 2011. Hosted annually in New York City, the event was a celebration of independent filmmaking with a focus on cultural identity, storytelling, and emerging voices. Sponsored by the Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA), the festival became a cornerstone for filmmakers seeking a platform that valued authenticity and artistic integrity over commercial appeal.

Although the festival formally concluded after its fifth annual edition in 2011, its legacy remains preserved through archived pages and fond recollections among participants. The site and the festival reflected the enduring contributions of Italian-American artists to cinema while embracing diversity by welcoming filmmakers from all backgrounds and genres.

Origins and Purpose

The GIAA Film Festival was founded in the mid-2000s under the auspices of the Guild of Italian American Actors, a professional organization established to promote the interests and achievements of Italian-American performers and creative professionals.

The festival’s mission extended beyond cultural celebration. It sought to offer a stage for filmmakers exploring human experiences through short films, documentaries, screenplays, and animations. Its inclusive philosophy allowed participation from artists worldwide, emphasizing storytelling that reflected perseverance, creativity, and identity.

Festival Director Mara Lesemann, Deputy Director Debbie Klaar, and Artistic Director Carlo Fiorletta, who also served as GIAA President, were key figures behind its organization. Their collaborative leadership combined administrative precision, creative vision, and a genuine dedication to nurturing new talent.

Festival Location and Setting

The festival was hosted at the Anthology Film Archives, located at Second Avenue and Second Street in Manhattan — one of New York City’s most respected venues for independent and avant-garde film. The choice of Anthology as the recurring site underscored the GIAA’s commitment to serious cinema and community engagement.

The venue itself carried deep historical significance: founded by Jonas Mekas and other avant-garde filmmakers, Anthology Film Archives has long been synonymous with artistic independence. By situating the GIAA Film Festival there, the organizers aligned their mission with a broader cultural movement that valued innovation, experimentation, and preservation.

Festival Structure and Categories

Each year, the festival accepted entries across several categories, emphasizing short formats and accessibility. Entries were divided into very short (up to 15 minutes) and short (16–30 minutes) segments in both fiction and non-fiction. Other categories included:

Very short and short documentaries
Very short and short animations
Music videos (up to 15 minutes)
Screenplays — short and feature-length

Screenplays were judged separately from films, offering writers an equal opportunity to gain visibility. Submissions were accepted through the industry-standard platform Withoutabox, streamlining entry for international participants and emphasizing the festival’s professional infrastructure.

Awards and Recognition

A major hallmark of the GIAA Film Festival was its extensive award structure, reflecting its respect for excellence in multiple disciplines.

Major Awards

Best Movie Award ($100 cash prize)
Best Screenplay Award ($100 cash prize)
Audience Favorite Award — decided by attendees at each screening session
Italian-American Heritage Award — given to the film or screenplay that best exemplified the Italian immigrant experience

Category Medals

Films in each category (fiction, documentary, animation, music video) were eligible for medals recognizing creative and technical achievement.

Special Partnerships

Sponsors such as Final Draft, InkTip, Delicious Italian Gifts, and later Openfilm.com elevated the festival’s prestige.

Final Draft provided downloadable licenses of its industry-leading screenwriting software to award winners.
InkTip offered script listings and promotion in their professional newsletters and magazines, giving winners industry exposure.
Delicious Italian Gifts sponsored the Audience Favorite Award with baskets of authentic Italian foods.
Openfilm.com, a digital distribution platform co-founded by actor Robert Duvall, provided memberships to top winners, bridging the gap between festival circuits and online audiences.

Notable Years and Highlights

2010: The Fourth Annual Festival

The 2010 GIAA Festival of Short Films and Videos (October 1–3, 2010) marked the festival’s fourth year and reflected its growth into a well-respected platform for independent voices. The event drew submissions from across the U.S. and abroad, continuing its tradition of inclusivity.

Official selections included more than 50 short films such as Unit 30, Cinderello, Harlem Mother, and Stuck, representing a wide range of genres and cultural perspectives.

The screenings took place at the Anthology Film Archives, attracting filmmakers, actors, and cinephiles eager to celebrate the artistry of short-form cinema.

A personal commentary from a New York City land use evaluator, whose grandson was a runner-up, likened the discipline of filmmaking to the structural rigor of urban development — a reflection of how the festival inspired creative appreciation across generations and professions.

2011: The Fifth and Final Festival

The 5th Annual GIAA Festival of Short Movies and Screenplays, held November 5–6, 2011, represented the culmination of the event’s mission. The rebranding (from “Short Films and Videos” to “Short Movies and Screenplays”) signaled a mature evolution in focus and branding.

New sponsorship from Openfilm.com offered enhanced exposure opportunities, with the top three movies receiving 12-month Open Film Pro memberships. Submission fees and categories were clearly defined, maintaining accessibility for students and professionals alike.

The 2011 event reinforced the festival’s dual commitment to artistic quality and community spirit, closing its five-year run on a note of pride and professionalism.

Connection to the Guild of Italian American Actors

The Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA), headquartered in New York, has a long tradition of supporting performers of Italian heritage. It functions as a fraternal organization akin to a union, advocating for equal opportunity, creative recognition, and the preservation of cultural legacy within the entertainment industry.

By sponsoring the film festival, GIAA provided a platform for filmmakers to share stories that aligned with the guild’s ethos — respect for heritage coupled with openness to the broader artistic world. The festival not only elevated Italian-American voices but also demonstrated the inclusivity of the community, welcoming all who valued storytelling excellence.

Cultural and Social Significance

The GIAA Film Festival emerged during a transformative era for independent cinema. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, digital filmmaking tools and online distribution were reshaping the landscape of media creation. Festivals like GIAA’s played a vital role in bridging traditional filmmaking and the democratized, internet-driven ecosystem.

For Italian-American artists, the festival provided a crucial outlet for exploring identity and history through new media. The Italian-American Heritage Award highlighted works that captured the immigrant experience, fostering intergenerational dialogue and cultural preservation.

Moreover, the festival’s international openness helped position it as a cross-cultural meeting point. Filmmakers from Asia, Europe, and the Americas shared the screen, making the event a microcosm of New York City’s own diversity.

Reviews and Reception

Though modest in size compared to major festivals, the GIAA Film Festival earned consistent praise from participants for its professionalism, warmth, and networking value.

Many filmmakers described the event as artist-centric rather than commercial, noting the thoughtful curation of entries and the attentive audience engagement at Anthology Film Archives.

The festival was especially lauded for creating a welcoming environment for students and emerging talents. Its affordable submission fees and tangible prizes provided meaningful encouragement at a time when independent filmmakers faced limited resources.

Publications like Backstage, IndieWIRE, and local Italian-American media outlets occasionally mentioned the event, particularly for its cultural focus and its alignment with the GIAA’s mission.

Legacy and Lasting Influence

Although the festival ceased operations after 2011, its legacy persists in several ways:

Promotion of Diversity in Storytelling – The GIAA Film Festival set a precedent for inclusion within culturally oriented events, demonstrating that ethnic heritage could serve as a foundation for universality rather than exclusivity.
Support for Emerging Talent – Many participants, including short film directors and screenplay finalists, later went on to other successful festival circuits such as Tribeca, Action on Film, and the Indie Gathering Film Festival.
Preservation of Independent Cinema – By partnering with venues like Anthology Film Archives, the festival contributed to sustaining New York’s independent film infrastructure, which remains vital to the city’s creative identity.
Cultural Documentation – The archived content at GIAAFilmFest.com remains a valuable resource for researchers and enthusiasts studying the intersection of ethnic identity and independent film culture in the early 21st century.

Example of Festival Impact: Unit 30

One standout example from the 2010 program, Unit 30 (directed by Taryn Hough), encapsulated the festival’s spirit — a blend of humor, creativity, and technical skill on a limited budget. The short film, featuring Sandra McCurdy and Eric Pirooz, earned attention for its quirky narrative and energetic performances.

After its screening at GIAA, Unit 30 went on to appear in multiple festivals, winning awards such as the Claw Award for Best Short Thriller at the Terror Film Festival and Best Horror-Comedy Short at the Cleveland Indie Gathering Film Festival.

This trajectory illustrates the festival’s role as a stepping stone for filmmakers to reach wider audiences and gain recognition within genre and independent circuits.

Behind the Scenes: Community and Collaboration

The festival’s intimate scale fostered genuine collaboration among filmmakers, writers, and actors. Networking sessions, Q&As, and informal gatherings allowed participants to connect directly with peers and industry mentors.

The leadership team — Lesemann, Klaar, and Fiorletta — were known for their accessibility and commitment to helping participants develop their craft. Many filmmakers praised their hands-on approach, noting how festival organizers personally watched and discussed each submission with care and constructive feedback.

This sense of community made the GIAA Film Festival distinct from larger, more impersonal events, ensuring that even first-time directors felt their work mattered.

The GIAA Film Festival, memorialized through GIAAFilmFest.com, represents a vibrant chapter in New York City’s independent film history. Born from the vision of the Guild of Italian American Actors, it fused cultural pride with creative inclusivity, championing voices that might otherwise have gone unheard.

Its five-year run at Anthology Film Archives showcased not only Italian-American artistry but the universal language of storytelling — one rooted in emotion, resilience, and imagination.

Though the festival’s website is now an archival artifact, its influence endures in the filmmakers it supported, the communities it inspired, and the ideals it embodied: that art transcends borders, and that every story — like every city — is built by those who dare to dream.

GIAAFilmFest.com