Sophia Cacciola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, artist, musician |
| Known for | Blood of the Tribades , TEN , Clickbait , Magnetic |
Sophia Cacciola is a Los-Angeles-based, American filmmaker, artist, and musician. [1] [2] [3]
Sophia Cacciola | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, artist, musician |
| Known for | Blood of the Tribades , TEN , Clickbait , Magnetic |
Sophia Cacciola is a Los-Angeles-based, American filmmaker, artist, and musician. [1] [2] [3]
Cacciola is known for her sociopolitical [4] genre feature films that showcase women: [5] TEN , [6] Magnetic, Blood of the Tribades, [7] Clickbait, and The Once and Future Smash. Her films have received festival awards including Boston Underground Film Festival's "Best New England Film", [8] the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival "Best Retro" award, [9] and GenreBlast Film Festival "Best Score". [10] Cacciola was the recipient of the 2018 GenreBlast Film Festival "Les Femmes Du Genre" wrestling belt award for her work in the community, directing, producing, and cinematography and the "Nuclear Pen" award for outstanding screenwriting achievements. [11] She also received the Lois Weber award at the 2018 Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival. [12] In 2022, Cacciola was the winner of the Innovation in Film award at Nightmares Film Festival along with partner, Michael J. Epstein. [13]
Cacciola's filmmaking interests were summarized as, "I love horror because you can be very bold about inserting themes and sociopolitical commentary and still make an entertaining movie. The possibilities are unlimited. You can create a whole world and mythology. Horror fans are incredibly engaged and loyal, so it’s really possible to build an incredible community of like-minded people to work with and to champion the films." [14] Cacciola is currently in development talks with Epic Pictures Group for a witch-themed film, The Caul. [15]
In addition to producing and directing films, Cacciola is also a cinematographer, working on narrative film as well as being the head shooter for the Women of Rock Oral History Project. [16]
Cacciola also often collaborates with other filmmakers including: Michael J. Epstein, Izzy Lee, [17] and Johannes Grenzfurthner.
Cacciola often blends her film and music work, noting in an interview the book, Indie Science Fiction Cinema Today: Conversations with 21st Century Filmmakers: [18] "I come from a rock'n'roll music background, where an independent DIY ethic is very ingrained, so I've always just charged in where I don't belong and done what I wanted." [19]
Cacciola drums and sings for The Prisoner-themed "loud, arty, minimalist rock working in the realm of proto-punk/new wave/no wave" [20] band, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, [21] which won a best video award from TIME in 2011. [22] The Boston Globe wrote: "the songs deal with troubled states of mind — fear, paranoia, claustrophobia — and the distinct feeling that, yes, they are out to get you. In other words, the harrowing music that marks “The New Number 2’’ is in keeping with the premise of The Prisoner: a former British secret agent held captive by unseen forces with an unknown agenda in a mysterious village." [23]
Her musical career also includes stints with the children's rock band, Space Balloons, [24] garage punks Darling Pet Munkee, [25] and indie ensemble The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library. [26]
She was awarded an art residency at Museumsquartier in Vienna, Austria in autumn 2017. [27] She created Nothen für die Tothen, an interactive music art installation for Roboexotica. [28]
Cacciola identifies as a feminist activist. In an article published by Quartz she addresses the problem that in today's film industry women can't rise when men overwhelmingly promote other men: "The only way I see any of this changing is to put multiple women at the top with firing power." [29]
Cacciola is married to filmmaker, artist, and frequent collaborator, Michael J. Epstein. [30]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Cinematographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Craving | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| 2022 [31] | The Once and Future Smash | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 [32] | The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 [33] | Clickbait | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2017 [34] | Hipster Ghost | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2017 [35] | Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2017 [36] | Blood of the Tribades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 [37] | Weekend Vampire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2015 [38] | Innsmouth | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| 2015 [39] | Magnetic | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2014 [40] | TEN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Wake No More | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2013 [41] | Fat | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Quiet Desperation | No | No | No | Yes | No |
The Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) is an annual event held in the Boston area that specializes in alternative film and video. BUFF is the largest underground film festival in New England, spotlighting short films and feature-length films that would not otherwise find an audience. It was the only film festival in the world to give an award for "Most Effectively Offensive" films, an accolade it awarded from its inception until 2017; on the festival's twentieth anniversary, the award was retired and replaced with "Best First Feature Film," marking a shifting focus towards celebrating new voices in filmmaking.
Catherine Capozzi is an American rock guitar player, and film composer, best known for her eclectic artistic style. She was named one of Guitar World's "10 Female Guitarists You Should Know" in 2012.
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.
Ten is a 2014 thriller/horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein in which ten women find themselves in a vacant mansion on an island. The film had its world premiere on March 30, 2014 at the Boston Underground Film Festival and features an all-female ensemble cast.
Ana Lily Amirpour is an Iranian-American film-maker, screenwriter and actress. She is best known for her feature film debut A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, self-described as "the first Iranian vampire spaghetti western" that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and which was based on a previous short film that she wrote and directed, which won Best Short Film at the 2012 Noor Iranian Film Festival.
Innsmouth is a 2015 short horror film that was directed by Izzy Lee, who co-wrote and co-produced the film with Francesco Massaccesi. The film premiered on August 19, 2015 and is inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, particularly The Shadow over Innsmouth.
Izzy Lee is an American filmmaker and writer, known for her short films Re-Home (2019), The Obliteration of the Chickens (2019), My Monster (2018), and Innsmouth, which she produced through her company Nihil Noctem. She has written for multiple outlets such as Birth.Movies.Death, Rue Morgue, TwitchFilm, and Fangoria and has also helped program and curate film festivals like the Boston Underground and the Boston Sci-Fi Fest.
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Magnetic is a 2015 science fiction psychological film written, produced, edited and directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein, featuring Allix Mortis as the only cast member. Funding for the film was partially raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The film is distributed in North America on VOD by Devolver Digital via Indie Rights and in North America on DVD by Wild Eye Releasing.
Blood of the Tribades is a 2016 horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The script, style, and look are heavily influenced by 1970s Euro lesbian vampire films. The film is distributed in North America on VOD and DVD/Blu-ray by Launch Over and VHS by SRS Media.
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The Once and Future Smash is a 2022 mockumentary film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The film tells the story of Mikey Smash and William Mouth, who both played the same football cannibal slasher character, Smash-Mouth, in the 1970 film, End Zone 2.
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