Have you ever wanted to get your Italian citizenship? Do you believe that there is a need for more humorous and joyful storytelling? The upcoming comedy short film, Make Me Italian, is about one man’s fantastical quest to become an Italian citizen. The film’s style is inspired by American and Italian filmmakers like Wes Andersen and Roberto Benigni. 

The film follows David Mangano on his mission to get his Italian citizenship recognized by the consulate. Pietro, an Italian consulate employee who always dots his I’s and crosses his T’s, begins the citizenship process with a comedic interrogation of David. After passing the grilling, things take an odd turn as David is forced to prove his knowledge and passion for all things Italian. Is he up for the challenge? In bocca al lupo. 

In 2009, the husband and wife team, Bryan and Stephanie Mazzarello, created Mazzarello Media & Arts as a communications studio focused on visual storytelling. As expressed by Stephanie, “Our goal is always to be playful, silly, and bring a little joy into the world. Something all of us need.” Make Me Italian is their first co-written narrative short film and is inspired by Bryan’s real-life citizenship process. Bryan, a SAG-AFTRA member, will be the director and lead actor, while Stephanie is working as the production designer. 

Bryan’s great-grandparents, Francesco Mazzarello and Teresa Sberna, immigrated to Milwaukee from Sicily. Their son, Salvatore, was born and raised in the Italian neighborhood of Milwaukee. Growing up in California, away from his Italian-American family in Wisconsin, Bryan didn’t often get a chance to connect to his Italian roots. After graduating college, he took a backpacking trip through Europe and connected to Italy and his Italian family. It was so life-changing that Bryan sought Italian dual citizenship in 2016. 

The Make Me Italian team will be fundraising on the Seed&Spark platform to finance this film. The Mazzarello’s love that Seed&Spark has built a fundraising platform for independent filmmakers whose stories are not being told by traditional big studios. Seed&Spark has created a path for talent to rise up outside of the conventional gatekeeper systems and this film is a perfect example. 

Make Me Italian has the support of The Tony Gaudio Foundation for the Cinematic Arts and the Società Garibaldina di Mutua Beneficenza (oldest Italian club in Los Angeles). The film also has a signed letter of intent from the innovative and international streaming short film platform, WeShort, based in Bari, Puglia. 

Learn more at the official website MakeMeItalian.com

To financially support the film go to seedandspark.com/fund/make-me-italian