CLIFTON ARTS
Paige Sciarrino and Elena Barone.
When we caught up with Paige Sciarrino in October 2018, the filmmaker’s sophomore film, “the blue light stays on” was nine months into pre-production. After submitting the film to select festivals, it was accepted into the Big Apple Film Festival and the Newark Short Film Festival. The big news is that the film premieres at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, which is March 23 to 28. Tickets are available for purchase at gsff.org. “[Getting accepted] feels very validating as a creator,” said Sciarrino, CHS 2011. “You don’t want to only create to get into festivals, but it feels very good to be validated that the project that is so close to your heart speaks to other people.” Perhaps what makes the new project even more exciting is its potential reach. The film was picked up for distribution with Mattioli Productions and after the Garden State Film Festival, it will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video. See it free with Prime membership or rent or purchase it. The film, starring Sciarrino and Elena Barone, is shot completely in Clifton.
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March 2021 • Cliftonmagazine.com
It takes place at East Ridgelawn Cemetery and in the caretaker’s home in which she was raised, pictured below. Sciarrino works in the office there for her father, Gary, who manages the 135 acre cemetery, which was established in 1905 on Delawanna Ave. “The cemetery is so beautifully maintained,” she continued, adding that it offers views of the NYC cityscape, as seen at the top of this page. “There are some really gorgeous drone shots in the film showcasing how beautiful it is.” As for what the future looks like for the filmmaker, she is currently working on a feature length film based off a similar concept that will be filmed in the same location. She is also writing a separate short film that will be her first foray into the science-fiction genre. All of these projects, she said, have also benefited her by keeping her busy during the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m trying to write as much as I can and I’m taking a lot of virtual acting classes,” said Sciarrino. “You’ve got to keep ready for when the phone rings, whenever that is.” Go to paigesciarrino.com for more details.