Waiting | A documentary

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TheStory

USA (2015)
77 min.
Directed by Cristian Piazza
Voice Over by John Turturro

Three Italian Immigrants aim for a second chance in life in New York City.

Floriano Pagliara is a Professional Boxer looking for self-validation. After a crushing defeat back in Italy, he needs to regain confidence. His career is his Identity. He finds a new trainer and a shot at a World Title against an American Champion. What will do it for him? Going the distance or winning the title?

Paolo Buffagni is a former Actor without any musical instruction. He reinvents himself as an Opera Singer at 30 after moving to New York. With little support for its new venture, he is constantly hesitant about his real potential and talent. His first major role is in Verdi’s Traviata. He’s looking for the recognition he couldn’t get back home.

Paolo Inferrera ultimately wants to open a restaurant in New York. His former family lifestyle and his entitled way of living fell apart with his parent’s divorce. He is an aspiring entrepreneur that falls short, hitting rock bottom. He acknowledges addiction and fights against it. He realized that the outside stimulation was a fence to his inner development. He tries to redeem himself in order to find his true Identity.

WAITING is a Documentary about finding the strength to give up an old familiar world to find identity and get a chance at self-realization, to find home in a strange land. It’s a longing for validation as a modern settler.

WAITING is about Second Chances. Being an Immigrant implies a resetting in habits: a new language, a new culture and dealing with circumstances differently. At first you are exhilarated and in awe because everything is new, until you realize that the past, and all things familiar, are pretty much a memory and nothing else.

New York has always been considered an Island of opportunity; it has been home for many generations of Italian immigrants since the late 1800’s. It’s a place to prove and confront yourself in every possible field. I was at a crossroad when I conceived this project. I challenged my fear of failure, the idea of Home, Identity and Family.

Filming this documentary showed me that most decisions come from a very intimate place: call it individual crisis, turning point, or passage to adulthood. I was first interested in knowing how people become aware of it: how can they see their way forward and use that awareness to change their lives. Choices are what define us as human beings. These are stories that humanize immigrants.

Cristian Piazza – Director

TheSubjects

Paolo Buffagni

Paolo Buffagni was born in Modena. After pursuing an acting career in Rome, he moves to New York and alternates his restaurant job with a new discovered passion about Opera. His wish for recognition clashes with a constant fear of failure, but that doesn't seem to stop his enthusiasm and will to keep trying. His vocal experience goes from singing in the Subway to singing Arias at the Carnegie Hall. Paolo goes to sleep every night thinking of Verdi and Puccini... And there's nothing wrong with that.

Floriano Pagliara

Floriano Pagliara was born in South Germany and moved to Cecina at the age of 3, in Tuscany. He started practicing boxing at the age of 15, out of boredom. He went from amateur to professional getting an immediate success and becoming a local sensation.
From there, Floriano's career as a boxer went in crescendo until he faced defeat. A brutal knocked out against Ferenc Zsabo put his career on hold. Only a sign from his past pushed him for an ultimate test within the walls of Gleason's Gym: To become a world-class fighter.

Paolo Inferrera

Paolo Inferrera was born in Padua. He was growing up in the tranquil and beautiful town of Limena. The perfect family life, surrounded by friends and having everything he asked for. At the age of 21, though, his parents got divorced turning things upside down. New York sounded an escape road but also an opportunity to meet his true Identity. Working in a restaurant led him to the idea of opening its own, but at the same time he was unconsciously eluding any clear responsibilities. Distractions of a hectic city nightlife got pretty much in the way. He needs to choose between Redemption and self-destruction.

TheMakers

Cristian Piazza
Director, Producer & Editor

Cristian Piazza is an Award Winning Filmmaker and founder of City People Films.

He practically grew up inside a movie theater, like the protagonist of Tornatore's classic film Cinema Paradiso. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Literature and he has studied Film Directing at New York University’ School of Professional Studies.

He has published articles about films and books in Argentina, Venezuela, Miami, Washington, and Spain, including interviews with James Lipton from Inside the Actors Studio, Franco Battiato, Paolo Sorrentino, Enrique Vila-Matas and Alberto Manguel.

He likes to paraphrase Bob Dylan when saying: “He’s convinced that he was born very far from where he’s supposed to be, and so, he’s (always) on his way home...”

WAITING is his first feature documentary. He lives in New York.

John Turturro
Voice Over

Highly talented Italian-American actor and director has become a favorite of cult/arthouse film aficionados with his compelling performances (Barton Fink, The Big Lebowsky, Jungle Fever) in a broad range of cinematic vehicles.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian parents, Katherine, a jazz singer, and Nicholas Turturro, a construction worker and carpenter. Turturro directed the Documentary Passione (2010) about the Neapolitan song and recently Fading Gigolo (2014) co-starting with Woody Allen.

Tommaso Fondi
Director of Photography

Tommaso Fondi was Born in Rome, Italy. He grew up in a forgotten neighborhood far from the fancy sites of "Roman Holiday". He has been snapping pictures since he was a kid and the search for new images and the stories around them led him to NYC; passing through the five continents; picking up a few languages in the meantime and changing from kid with a camera to hardened Cameraman. He has worked for major Italian networks (RAI – Mediaset) and important companies (Reuters, FUSE) on a wide range and scale of projects.

Frederick Trevino
Colorist

Frederick Trevino is an award winning filmmaker living in Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.F.A in Film/Video from the University of Texas and is certified in Final Cut Pro, Color, Compressor, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro.
His films have been shown in multiple festivals including, The New Filmmakers Film Festival and Texas Show where his film, Sing For Me, won Audience favorite. He has worked as a director, editor, and colorist. He has worked with a long list of accredited studios, such as: Riding Hood Motion Pictures, Third Man Productions, TVtropolis Canada, and Killer Films.

José Luis R. Cortés
Director of Photography

José Luis R. Cortés started his career as a photojournalist and writer for the most important sports magazines in Barcelona, Spain. He has worked as a freelance producer, editor and director of photography for several TV programs as well as for advertising agencies.

He is the director of photography of the documentary "Symphony" Best Documentary Feature at the Orinda Film Festival.

He's finishing his first feature film The Bohemians. Besides filmmaking he is a The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, The New York Times and many other magazines and newspapers published photographer. José Luis lives and works in New York.

Aldo Re
Sound Mixer

Aldo Re has 20+ years experience working on location as a sound engineer and in the studio mixing and editing feature films, realities and documentaries with the most prominent worldwide entertainment production companies.

Flexibility and adaptability to the variety of tasks assigned are some of Aldo strength. He’s the sound guy!

Mark Wind
Composer

Mark Wind is a film composer and producer from The Netherlands. He started composing only in February 2013 and immediately took the international stage with the celebrated symphonic & synthesizer score to the British horror movie The Apostate (2014). WAITING is his second score. He has a slate full of upcoming projects: Gates of Jerusalem (2016); Haven (2015); Voice in The head (2015), Mark is making a name for himself by always putting quality first. www.markwindofficial.com.