Back Story is a 20-minute homage to noir cinema. As two actors prepare for a live performance in downtown New York, they face the uncertainties of each other’s skills, unclear loyalties, and possible hidden identities. All this, while in the shadows lurks a serial-killer of Off-Off Broadway actors.
Back Story premiered at the Golden Door International Film Festival (Jersey City) in June, 2024 and was named Best Short Film.
The Back Story Team
Bill Sorvino
Alicia Giangrisostomi
Alicia Giangrisostomi
Bill Sorvino, an actor of great range and depth, trained at the William Esper Studio before winning Best Actor at the Film Festival of Manhattan in the Lionsgate release “Who’s Jenna?”
As a founder of the Golden Door Film Festival in Jersey City, New Jersey, a fest listed by Movie Makers Magazine as one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth t
Bill Sorvino, an actor of great range and depth, trained at the William Esper Studio before winning Best Actor at the Film Festival of Manhattan in the Lionsgate release “Who’s Jenna?”
As a founder of the Golden Door Film Festival in Jersey City, New Jersey, a fest listed by Movie Makers Magazine as one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, he was named amongst the 50 most influential people in Hudson County New Jersey. Bill co-founded the Brazen Giant Ensemble in New York City with Christian Keiber, and he continues an awarded career of film directing and acting.
Alicia Giangrisostomi
Alicia Giangrisostomi
Alicia Giangrisostomi
Alicia Giangrisostomi is an emerging star in film and TV. She appeared in the TV series "Everything's Trash" in the pivotal role of the mother in 2022. She is an accomplished bi-lingual actress.
Ernest Mingione
Sarah MacDonnell
Sarah MacDonnell
Ernest Mingione, a life-long resident of Greenwich Village and immersed in its arts scene, is mainly known for portraying police officers, mobsters and comedic New York characters. He brings a special depth of experience and polish to his role as the proud, supportive father who is just a little bit dangerous to bad actors. He feels honored to be a part of Back Story.
Sarah MacDonnell
Sarah MacDonnell
Sarah MacDonnell
Sarah is a veteran of film, television and theater. She's guest starred in "Weird Science", "Friends", "ER", "The Blacklist", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and many other shows. She brings savvy and great wit to her role as the Director.
Seth Reuben Jacobson
Seth Reuben Jacobson
Seth Reuben Jacobson
Seth has been a watcher of noirs since he can remember. The gritty black and white urban landscape. The play of shadows. The hidden intentions. The wise-guy vernacular. The double-entendres and too-much New York accents. The wack-job romantic entanglements of desperate men and femme fatales. Those lush classic music scores. And perhaps mo
Seth has been a watcher of noirs since he can remember. The gritty black and white urban landscape. The play of shadows. The hidden intentions. The wise-guy vernacular. The double-entendres and too-much New York accents. The wack-job romantic entanglements of desperate men and femme fatales. Those lush classic music scores. And perhaps most of all - the fedora. Back Story is his love letter to the genre.
Seth is a 30-year plus veteran of the stage and film industry. He has directed and/or edited over two-hundred film and video projects. This is his first project developed with the Brazen Giant Ensemble. He is honored to have worked with such a stellar cast and amazing crew.
Andrea Ocampo
Seth Reuben Jacobson
Seth Reuben Jacobson
Andrea Ocampo’s (AO) directorial and cinematographic debut, the female-driven, coming-of-age road film "Starlit", has garnered eight wins including Best Director at the Hudson River International Film Festival and most recently Best Cinematography at the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards. “Starlit” has also been declared to be of Soc
Andrea Ocampo’s (AO) directorial and cinematographic debut, the female-driven, coming-of-age road film "Starlit", has garnered eight wins including Best Director at the Hudson River International Film Festival and most recently Best Cinematography at the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards. “Starlit” has also been declared to be of Social and Cultural Interest by the Government of San Juan, Argentina.
AO is currently writing her first screenplay about a child soldier fleeing the fierce FARC guerrillas and its 60 year-old conflict, then finding her way in traditional Columbian society.
When not writing or shooting, AO works full-time in media production and archiving at a global non-profit organization. Her last project at the United Nations was a piece for UNTV on the protection of migratory birds.
AO embraced filmmaking and world events at age 11 when she found a dusty camcorder in her parents' closet in Colombia. These passions led her to the study of politics and filmmaking, landed her a career at the United Nations, and inspired her feature film debut “Starlit.” Her dream is to marry her two passions.
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer reluctantly left the protective womb of Austin, Texas, with curls and, trailing behind her, a wonderfully large and artistic family. As the youngest of six, her own artistic influences derive from childhood experiences as a curious witness to bohemian dinner parties, adult discussions of love and heartache on the
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer reluctantly left the protective womb of Austin, Texas, with curls and, trailing behind her, a wonderfully large and artistic family. As the youngest of six, her own artistic influences derive from childhood experiences as a curious witness to bohemian dinner parties, adult discussions of love and heartache on the porch at night, academic lectures on the gendered gaze in cinema, and so on. Gabriella studied literature, film, and philosophy in school, eventually making her way into film production, screenwriting, and set design. Based in NYC, you can find her documenting the city by pen and camera, bathing in nature, and enjoying domestic minutia at home.
Jeremiah Bornfield
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer
Gabriella Fleming-Shemer
Jeremiah Bornfield scored the breakout success "Make Me Famous", boasting a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, won a gold medal in film scoring presented by the International Independent Film Festival in 2019 for "Just Within Reach", is composer of "Diane", winner of best narrative feature at Tribeca Film Festival 2018, and composer fo
Jeremiah Bornfield scored the breakout success "Make Me Famous", boasting a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, won a gold medal in film scoring presented by the International Independent Film Festival in 2019 for "Just Within Reach", is composer of "Diane", winner of best narrative feature at Tribeca Film Festival 2018, and composer for HBO documentary and Cannes Golden Eye nominee Hitchcock/Truffaut. His concert music has played from Carnegie Hall to Taipei National Concert Hall.
Damien Stewart
Damien Stewart
Damien Stewart
Damien Stewart is a self-proclaimed cinephile and critic. He mostly spends his free time watching and critiquing movies on his podcast, in addition to making films as well. A multitasking jack of all trades, he strives to learn and take on new things in the film industry every day.
Logan McDonald
Damien Stewart
Damien Stewart
Logan started his career working for a small studio in Manhattan where he learned to become a jack of all trades on set working on a large variety of productions. He is currently working as a Camera Assistant for reality television and hopes to bring his own stories to the screen one day.
You can find his video work and short films at Log
Logan started his career working for a small studio in Manhattan where he learned to become a jack of all trades on set working on a large variety of productions. He is currently working as a Camera Assistant for reality television and hopes to bring his own stories to the screen one day.
You can find his video work and short films at Logan McDonald Films on Youtube.and critiquing movies on his podcast, in addition to making films as well. A multitasking jack of all trades, he strives to learn and take on new things in the film industry every day