Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Alessia Mandanici Is Helping To Change Our World
Isolate art from money. Artists are frequently faced with the issue of “If you love what you do, you’ll do it anyway, and we don’t need to pay for it.” It is difficult to negotiate this since, while we enjoy what we do, we also have to pay our expenses like everyone else. I found that keeping a film project separate from money issues makes me feel more liberated. Paying my bills is one thing I need to figure out, while telling a story in order to promote change or create a social impact is another. With this model, I don’t have to compromise the project in any way because it doesn’t give room to financial coercion.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Alessia Mandanici.
Alessia Mandanici is a filmmaker based in New York City. She holds an MFA in writing & directing from NYU Tisch School’s Graduate Film Program. Being a multi-instrumentalist musician and a trained graphic designer strongly influences her aesthetic approach to filmmaking. In 2023, she founded Holy Cannoli Films with Nathan Hasz to share her passion and help other filmmakers tell their stories. She plans to share different types of writing on a new blog later this year.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
I appreciate the opportunity and am thrilled to be a part of this series! My “backstory” takes us to Mainz, a small German town. (This is the town that is known thanks to Gutenberg for the invention of the letterpress in 1440 and where books were made!) Music was the first artistic passion to cross my path. I began learning classical guitar at the age of seven and jazz saxophone at the age of nine. I started writing and singing songs, branched out into different genres, founded my own bands, and played in a number of bands. It was, and still is, a way to express myself and communicate with others in a universal language. When it became evident that I would not pursue music professionally, I went to what felt like “the other side” of my interests: the visual. Since I was also really involved in music, I recall how often I was told in design school that I would have to eventually “decide” between being a designer and a musician.
Feeling stuck between two things — an established narrative from growing up with a German mother and an Italian father and two distinct cultural identities at home — persisted and frustrated me greatly. I felt restricted in my creativity and interests. In my second year of design school in Germany, I took a “film project” class and collaborated with a classmate to create a 16-minute short film. There was no film department at my school, but we had a great professor, Günther Klein, who noticed our hunger and pushed us to make any film we could picture in our minds. Our short film, ‘Spieglein, Spieglein’ (‘Mirror, Mirror’), was selected as a Berlinale Hessen Talent for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and went on to win an audience prize at a local German film festival the following year. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, I realized right away that filmmaking didn’t ask me to “choose one side.” It is an audio-visual medium that embraces my eclectic abilities and interests. I was able to cultivate each of those skills and put them all together into the larger picture of becoming a storyteller during my time in the US and at NYU Grad Film.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Choosing only one is difficult! So far, each film has presented me with unique challenges and stumbles to learn and develop from. One of the first and most fundamental mistakes I made was in my first short film, ‘Spieglein, Spieglein’ (‘Mirror, Mirror’). The story follows a young woman’s vision of reality while she is in a coma, and we shot scenes in a hospital. After pulling an all-nighter to prepare, my co-director and I didn’t hear our alarms the next morning and arrived two hours late to our set. Not only was that embarrassing, but we had also lost our allocated equipment storage area in the process. After successfully exercising our talent of persuasion with the exceptionally nice medical staff, we were assigned a new storage space for our equipment: the recovery room, where patients awoke fresh from surgery. It was the most awkward circumstance to be in: constantly dragging c-stands, light units, and tripods alongside strangers who were just waking up from anesthesia. I’m not sure how many times I had to tell someone that I didn’t know about their surgery or general state, but after that, I was never late for a set and began planning well in advance. This event showed us the value of clear communication and forward planning in order to avoid awkward situations in the future. It also underlined the need to be prepared for unanticipated situations on site.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I recently wrapped post-production on my latest short, ‘Schwarzmoll’ (‘Blackmoll’), which stars an 8-year-old actress in the lead role. Finding someone who is disarmingly honest to work with and expects the same from you has been a greatly enjoyable and unique experience. Finja continuously reminded me of what ‘being in the moment’ genuinely means, and it continues to inspire me.
Another exceptional encounter I had was with a doctor. I was researching for a feature film I am developing titled ‘Wiegenlied’ (‘Lullaby’), which tells the story of a young neurologist who treats a patient with a mysterious condition. Unable to find a specialist who would answer my questions in an interview, I decided to schedule an actual appointment for myself, using some of the symptoms my character experiences in the script. When I arrived at the doctor’s office, I explained that I was in excellent condition but needed medical guidance for a script I was working on. He was impressed by my, let’s say, unconventional approach and eager to learn more about the story. When I noticed the childlike curiosity in his eyes, as if he’d been invited on a neurological treasure hunt, I knew he would try to assist. We discovered that we were both Oliver Sacks fans, and he offered to read my script and consult with me as best he could. I often found myself wishing to put him in a future script since he’s such a character — the sort that wears a dinosaur skeleton patterned tie from the Natural History Museum shop while carrying an unwrapped croissant in his pants pocket for a later snack.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
Hannah Arendt is currently a major source of inspiration for me. What most impresses me about her writing and interviews is the critical thinking and sharp reasoning that she conveys in an uncompromising truth-seeking tone. Although her work is classified as ‘political theory,’ I find her ideas applicable to systems smaller than governments or countries, such as communities, families, or even just two people. Hannah Arendt strikes me as one of those people I’d like to be around: someone who avoids diluted viewpoints that either follow a current political trend or don’t make a major statement at all for fear of being canceled.
We live in a world that allows and accepts people being publicly punished and permanently removed for their opinions on a powerful, all-connecting platform called the internet. Everything has become quite political, and the chances of being canceled tomorrow for something you are celebrating now are nearly identical. How quickly that can take place is really alarming. Today’s Tik-Tok-esque pace seeps from the digital world into the analogue, leaving little time to examine what we hear and see, let alone create an opinion based on questioning. Quickly creating a story or post appears to be more relevant than the message conveyed in it, because it will be boring by tomorrow. This upsets me tremendously.
Imagining Hannah Arendt today on Twitter or Instagram is an encouraging concept and source of inspiration for the role I wish to play. How would she, with her distinctly unconstrained, life-affirming voice, have used social media to create a long-term change in people’s thinking and behavior?
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I’m not sure about success, but my goal is to leave a better place than I found it. At some point, I realized I could apply this approach to an audience. I want viewers to leave with more than they came in. This may include gaining new knowledge or increasing empathy for others in certain situations.
‘Wiegenlied’ (‘Lullaby’), the project for which I made my “fake” doctor’s appointment, follows a neurologist and her 6-year-old patient. However, the medical plot is merely the surface of the story. Later, we find that the protagonist developed her exact, hyper-functional, but also anonymous and lonely scientific world and identity as a defensive mechanism in response to the sexual abuse she experienced early in her life. The unusual connection she makes with her young patient triggers memories of her own childhood, which she can no longer conceal, and she is suddenly confronted with trauma. The central theme of the story is her ability to see, accept, and address her past, in which silence was forced by the people closest to her.
I’m exploring the protagonist’s lasting damage as a survivor of child sexual abuse, progressively drowning her and the audience in her past. Regrettably, there is a very high prevalence of child sexual abuse that receives very little media attention. One of the most horrific aspects is that children are unable to stand up for themselves, especially when the people they most trust, their relatives, are shutting them down. My greatest wish is that my story may provide other victims of child sexual abuse with the courage and community they need to (re)claim and tell their truths, and to offer families in such situations the courage to speak up and safeguard their children from future harm.
Second, from a broader perspective, I hope to give a better understanding of people’s sometimes perplexing behaviors rather than passing quick judgment. Our early experiences profoundly influence who we become later in life. Coping mechanisms and automatic protocols are frequently the result of a basic need to survive situations that were previously unsafe for us. And while we can warp memories to the point that they appear to be gone, our bodies will not forget and eventually retake that place, often suddenly and forcefully. Instead of battling alone, we may learn how much better it feels to do it together. I hope ‘Wiegenlied’ (‘Lullaby’) will leave an audience with that thought and inspire them to seek strength in unity.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
The films, literature, and art that inspire me usually draw my attention to something new or raise questions about something, including my own actions. Although it evolved over time, one “aha moment” occurred in my third year of film school when I discovered my films were not achieving that at all. Throughout my life, whether emotionally or artistically, I’ve felt repeatedly misunderstood, but it was particularly painful when my directing professors told me that they had no access to my protagonists. It seemed that they weren’t able to empathize with or even care about them. Despite my bursting emotions, no one seemed moved by what I had to say. Things began to change when I started therapy and opened up about previously sealed chapters. Something unlocked, maybe because part of me did as well. My strong interest in raising awareness about child sexual abuse originates from my own experience as a survivor, but it took me a long time to allow myself to say it. I found more understanding and compassion for myself and all the characters in the story along the way; that is one of the beautiful aspects of it.
Are there three things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
First, open your eyes and ears to your immediate surroundings and take action when you suspect someone is being assaulted. A lot of times, there are signs of sexual abuse that remain ignored, maybe out of fear of not having enough proof. I think it’s a better scenario to be wrong once than to know later that you could’ve prevented someone from being victimized.
Second, provide an emotionally safe space for your friends and family. Even the people closest to us might carry deep wounds and trauma. It helps them open up and work through their past when they feel safe to do so, and it might help them deal with their trauma and feel less alone in their process.
Last, we’re still in financing with ‘Wiegenlied’ (‘Lullaby’). If there are any individuals or organizations wanting to support raising awareness about child sexual abuse, please connect with me. It helps enormously to expand the network of people who understand the need to tell untold stories and potentially learn about financing strategies we might not have yet considered.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Trust your instincts, and don’t feel obligated to explain them to anyone intellectually. I’ve had unexplained feelings about people, places, and situations. I’ve previously allowed myself to be talked out of it, but I always remembered that I knew better from the start. If you dislike working with or being with someone, don’t spend time with them. If something sparks you up but it’s not the “smart thing” to do, follow your senses rather than your intellect. If a place feels unsafe but you don’t know why, leave without waiting for confirmation. Our instincts constantly step in to protect us.
- Never allow anyone to dominate you or your thinking. I used to take statements like “Don’t even think that!” seriously. If you remove a part of your personality in order to please others to the point where they command what you can or cannot think, it’s like walking around without limbs. At any time in our lives, we can give ourselves the wonderful opportunity of breaking free from those constraints and accepting whatever we discover when we just listen.
- Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you; learn how to do it yourself. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent waiting for someone’s help that never came, due to bad timing, miscommunication, or other factors. Make the time to learn it on your own, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Thankfully, nowadays, you can practically YouTube anything.
- Go at your own pace and leave behind anything that slows you down. It’s pointless to stick to a strategy or routine that won’t help you achieve your goals. I’m frequently tempted to follow “how others are doing it.” Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn’t. I’ve learned that it’s more productive to focus my efforts on discovering what feels right for me rather than adjusting myself to what doesn’t.
- Isolate art from money. Artists are frequently faced with the issue of “If you love what you do, you’ll do it anyway, and we don’t need to pay for it.” It is difficult to negotiate this since, while we enjoy what we do, we also have to pay our expenses like everyone else. I found that keeping a film project separate from money issues makes me feel more liberated. Paying my bills is one thing I need to figure out, while telling a story in order to promote change or create a social impact is another. With this model, I don’t have to compromise the project in any way because it doesn’t give room to financial coercion.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
I think we’re past the point where this is up for consideration. We have to internalize that we will ultimately leave everything behind when our time is up. Treasures and trash, whether physical or philosophical, will all fall into the hands of those who remain or come after. Why would you want to leave a legacy of futility and devastation behind? Wouldn’t that seem like a hugely wasted opportunity to look back on?
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
It would be a sincere pleasure to speak and possibly collaborate with Jennifer Fox, writer/director of the exceptionally powerful film “The Tale,” which tells her own personal experience of surviving childhood sexual abuse. That film sat in my bones for weeks, and I’d like to voice my admiration for her work and seek advice for my project.
In addition to revising my screenplay’s protagonist, I’m seeking to get in touch with neurologists about research projects. This would be an excellent source of inspiration to spark ideas for my character’s routine. Being in touch with pediatricians working in hospitals would also be highly beneficial. One of my goals is to keep the medicine and environment entirely plausible in order to create convincing situations. It would be great to peek inside those people’s daily lives and shadow them for a few days.
Can you please give us your favorite “life lesson quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Action without a name, a who attached to it, is meaningless.” — Hannah Arendt
How can our readers follow you online?
You can see and read about my work, as well as contact me, on my website: https://alessiamandanici.com/
My Vimeo profile contains a collection of videos and films: https://vimeo.com/alessiamandanici
You can learn about screenings and updates by following my two short films on Instagram: @lentini.shortfilm and @schwarzmoll
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Alessia Mandanici Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.