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Profile
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RITRATTOportrait
The Other Side of Sean by Chiara Folini
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ust 27 years old, Sean Marckos Benvenuto has overcome many impediments to be where he is today. While enrolled in the cinema program during college, he knew he had discovered his true calling to be a filmmaker. Being born handicapped, Sean grew up with social pressures and was all too familiar with fighting against adversity. Coming from an Italian/ Spanish family with the traditional expectations of becoming a lawyer, Sean’s aspirations diverged from what his parents had expected of him. Upon realizing his talent, his parents became more supportive and now tre côté” Poster of the film “De l’au even his younger sister shares his passion for the arts. Sean grew up very close to his grandfather Rafel Benvenuto, who was born in Calabria. During World War 1, his grandfather’s family and many other Italians had to immigrate to La Boca, a little region in Bueno Aires, Argentina. “I learned the lessons of ingenuity from my grandfather who introduced me to the world of film. While my grandfather lived as a welder with limited resources, he showed me how to make the most of it” Sean tells. In 2003, Sean founded Dreamsgate Pictures, his own entertainment and communications company with the collaboration of his partner Jean-Robert Cloutier. Dreamsgate Pictures sought “to further the artistic realm of the motion picture industry in Quebec” says Sean. His aim was to produce works that allow his audiences to dream and to escape reality, which he did with his first feature entitled “De L’Autre Cote.” The Other Side, a film about Hugo Durain who goes through a near-death experience and loses his capability to perform as a musician. Due to unexpected events as a school janitor, he enters a world of supernatural encounters leading him to face the other side where secrets are concealed. The film has been selected to be shown in 11 international film festivals across the world including Hawaii, United States, Italy and South Africa. The Other Side will be the first Quebecois independent feature film screened in the Grauman Chinese Theater facing Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. “I’m so excited to display my work in a prestigious theater where my ultimate favorite film Indiana Jones was premiered” said Sean with excitement. As I saw Sean visualizing this day yet to come through his sparkling eyes, it was clear that little boy in him finally was fulfilling his dream. He also expressed his gratitude in being able to display his film in the Italian Salento Fear Festival in Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy. His movie was selected from among those of such influential producers as Gray Fredrickson from the trilogy series of The Godfather. The Other Side represented only one out of four international films chosen for the festival. Sean feels proud and closely connected to his Italian roots. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Luc Besson are the filmmakers who inspired Sean to pursue his career. Among these childhood role models came inspirational movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Star Wars” which were movies admired for their action-filled and stylized visual effects. “Not only did these films revolutionize the film industry at that time, they inspired filmmakers to push the boundaries for higher-quality special effects.” Sean expresses. He feels this burning urge to tell stories to a wider audience. Ingenious in his approach, Sean chose to write a film with a taboo topic. “I was curious about the supernatural because it seemed to me to be something refreshingly out-of-touch with the world. If I can inspire and stimulate thought about an unconscious world beyond the known then I have done my job” says Sean. He invested his hopes for four months in writing the script followed by 45 shooting days and two years of post-production. Sean came to this realization, that instead of fulfilling his goal individually, it required a team with patience, perseverance and belief in his company’s goals. Therefore, his company has opened his doors to recent film graduates who want to gain experience through an internship. “My business is all about finding people who are equally passionate about filmmaking and that have the desire to learn more about the industry” Sean declares proudly. Sean has also given back to the community, undertaking various projects like creating Time World Association and Dreamsgate Children’s Foundation. The foundation would form an audio-visual therapy to help treat and provide a medium for children to be the artist of their films. As for Time World Association, it is a non-profit organization that is presently organizing an event to build awareness and raise funds for the prevalent crisis in Darfur. Sean believes in helping those in need. “I believe my grandfather passed a tiny shred of that quality on to me” says Sean about his generous spirit. “I am an immigrant so I know how it feels to struggle and fight for what I want, I truly understand what my Italian grandparents went through” states Sean. Sean has adopted his grandfather’s appreciation for every precious moment of life. Being partly Italian/Spanish, English and French Canadian, his vast knowledge of cultures reflects his ideas for his upcoming films. Sean defines himself as a “citizen of the
Sean Marckos Benvenuto
world,” embraces other cultures while preserving his Italian roots. As he speaks of Italian family celebrations and traditions, a sense of familial pride is heard in his voice. Many did not have faith in Sean’s abilities, yet he saw it as an advantage. Despite technical and financial setbacks, Sean made it clear that it has only made him stronger. Sean describes success for him as “being happy with my achievements and in what I do, and not in what others think of me.” He truly believes that money is only a tool but not a reaching goal. “No one should believe that any dream is beyond their capability.” advises Sean. Dreamsgate Pictures’ future lies in the interest of expanding his projects with a bigger budget to the international market. Recently a television segment on E-Talk mentioned The Other Side. “I’m so happy that my film is receiving lots of exposure” Sean modestly states on the unexpected response to his film. Given the success of the film, he is planning to create a sequel to The Other Side. As a screenwriter, director and producer, Sean has outshone the expectations of his family and friends. Sean truly embodies a person who has turned his dream into a reality. With a constant positive outlook on life, the sky is the limit for this young over-achiever. “I would like to direct my first large-scale film production in Hollywood before I turn 30” replied Sean when asked about his future goals. Even though he has lots of work ahead of him in the coming years, Sean is confident “It’s going to happen.” No doubt he has many supporters rooting for him. For more information: www.dreamsgatepictures.com, www.seanmarckos.com, www.theothersidemovie.com. v
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