Scarpedicemente Trailer

“A work of art … an extraordinary achievement” — Emmy and Peabody Award Winner, William Mastrosimone.
“Scarpedicemente is exceptionally written! It’s an homage to gangster movies. The acting is brilliant as John & Olga bring incredible chemistry to the screen!
They could well be the next Bogie and Bacall! I love every frame of this film!” Sam Sandora, Emmy Nominated Director & GM of 3 Rivers Studios, PA
The movie is a love letter to cinema.” Lorenzo Cibrario, OMNI TV- Italian
“… sexy, frisky, and funny. A 21st [century] film noir for lovers of great gangster films of the past.”

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

Delusional gangster, Luigi Scarpedicemente (Cement Shoes), is next in line to be the Godfather. But he doesn’t want to be boss. He wants to be an actor. Today he has ditched his bodyguards, Ricco and Rocco, to celebrate his one-year wedding anniversary with his ditzy wife, Holly, at a Vegas motel where they plan on enjoying sexual role-playing games. Luigi is a walking film projector, playing out the favorite gangster movies of his mind. He sees his world in Black & White and it’s all fun and games until reality kicks in. The layered plot, full of twists and turns, will keep you guessing throughout.
Based on the critically acclaimed stage play written by the two leads, husband and wife, John Vamvas and Olga Montes.
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Writers

Written by John Vamvas & Olga Montes

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Directors

Directed by John Vamvas & Victoria Sanchez-Mandryk

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Producers

Produced by Olga Montes & John Vamvas

Scarpedecimente – The Play – Reviews

Scarpedicemente’s production team

Scarpedicemente is a passion project for actor/writer/producers Olga Montes and John Vamvas, which they initially wrote and toured as a critically acclaimed and Audience Favorite stage play in 1996. Though left on the backburner for many years, the couple felt that the story could still resonate with audiences on several levels: not only as a dark comedy and homage to the many incredible films and actors that have shaped our pop culture and ourselves as people, but as an examination of the human condition (love, hate, revenge, mental illness, grasping at dreams, etc.). They also felt that they could give the stage version new life by telling the story that is in essence about cinema, as a movie. The couple thus decided to throw caution to the wind and self-finance a film adaptation – call it their mid-life crisis Ferrari!
Longtime friend, Victoria Sanchez-Mandryk, was hired for the 10-day shoot to co-direct along with John as he could not be behind the camera (being in front of it for the entirety), contributing some beautiful elements (like the funhouse mirrors, darkroom for the interrogation sequences and clown). Cinematographer, René Arseneau, pushed that vision further thanks to his distinctive visual aesthetics and unique sense of composition and lighting. Award nominated Editor, Jean-Denis Rouette, brought in his own non-linear touches, infusing the visuals with a structure and style reminiscent of the different classic gangster movies Luigi and Holly embody to make sense of their world. Composer, Sandra Chechik, added a delicate melancholy to juxtapose the rapid-fire dialogue and acting style.
Scarpedicemente, a 114 page script, was shot in 10 days in August 2020 in Brossard, Quebec, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

John Vamvas

Writer, Director, Producer, Actor

René Arseneau

Director of Photography

Pablo Villegas

Sound Recordist

Olga Montes

Writer, Producer, Actor

Jean-Denis Rouette

Editor

Albert Chambers

Sound Design & 2.1 Mix

Sandra Chechik

Composer

Matt R. Sherman

Re-recording Mixer & 5.1 Sound Design

Click below to know the rest of the gang