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Hollywood and members of the European cinema join force in the fight against pediatric cancer




"The Secret of Joy"


Entertainment professionals from Hollywood, the UK and Italy have joined forces to produce The Secret of Joy, an over half-a-million-dollar project made of a 12-minute short, a book and a song, which will be donated non-exclusively to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation (www.endkidscancer.org) and to three European hospitals as extra tools to raise the awareness on pediatric cancer and fundraise during their future campaigns.
Originally created by director/producer Max Bartoli and by his wife, producer Fabiola Lopez Bartoli, and helmed by the former,  The Secret of Joy has unexpectedly become an act of love from all the 150 people who promptly answered the Bartolis’ call and gathered in Hollywood last December.  Their example was followed by several companies (US Technicolor, Red Cameras, Hammerhead Productions., and Italian Tirelli Costumes, Pieroni, Rocchetti&Rocchetti and Jewel House) that joined the project with contributions of over $500K (five hundred thousand dollars).
From the UK came the beautiful production design of Giles Master (Angels and Demons,The Mummy,The Da Vinci Code),  the song’s lyrics of Andrew Whelan and the impeccable performance of actress Mia Christou (Dallas Biters ClubInnocent When You Dream) and West End performer Jonathan Teale (Oliver!, Les Miserable) who joined a 35-people-cast led by four times Emmy Award winner Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond,  Remington Steele, Christmas Vacation), Maria Conchita Alonso (The Running Man, Saints&Sinners,The House of the Spirits), Sofia Milos (CSI Miami) and Massi Furlan (The Dark Knight Rises, Soul Surfer, Liz & Dick).
From Italy, beyond Max Bartoli’s direction and production, came the costume / hair / make up design of Andrea Sorrentino, the score of Gianluca Cucchiara, the storyboards of Antonio De Luca, the conceptual drawings of Marco Menegaldo and Riccardo Massironi, the production of Edoardo Di Silvestri and Erika Bowinkel and the performances of Massi Furlan, Silvia Baldassini, Francesco Mazzei and Sergio Sivori.
The short tells the story of a beautiful dream in King Arthur’s kingdom, a land populated by valiant knights, beautiful ladies, little elves and monsters to be defeated.  A world of fantasy and beauty only a child can imagine; a tale that enchants the viewers until life brings them abruptly back to reality. Joy, our little 11 y.o. princess, is fighting the monster of cancer! 
Sounds simple? It took almost 1 year of hard work (and the budget of an indie feature), 54 costumes, 100 pieces of jewelry, 35 pairs of medieval shoes, 7 days of filming in front of a green screen and over 25,000 frames (twenty five thousand) of full CGI to bring this idea to life on the big screen.  
From August 28th until September 3rd The Secret of Joy will be screened at the Laemmle 7 theater in North Hollywood and the whole Box Office will be donated to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation. Tickets are available at www.thesecretofjoy.org 
“Cancer has unfortunately already touched my family too many times, - said Max Bartoli - and more recently two couple of friends lost their 4 y.o and 5 y.o. children to neuroblastoma a few months apart.  The memory of their pain is still vivid and the thought that other parents might experience was what motivated my wife and I to do something to raise awareness and funds to support the battle against this terrible disease. Fabiola and I have always known we could make the difference, touching one person’s heart at the time, hopefully now, thanks to our fantastic cast and all who’ve generously contributed, we could touch thousands.”
More screenings will be held in NY,  Washington DC, London and Rome in the fall. 
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Max Bartoli
(CEO of MaXaM Productions Holding LLC)
4430 Hadfield Lane N.W.
20007 Washington D.C.
cell 646-639-8152
Skype: Max Bartoli
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I have known Max Bartoli several years ago thanks to my friendship with his father Oscar, appreciated journalist and columnist, editor of the popular blog "Letter from Washington DC".
The young filmmaker Max was at the beginning with his short film "Ignotus"; in Italy I had the pleasure to present it in Turin (ancient first capital of Italian cinema in the early twentieth century), underlining his skills in designing and making events.
I'm interested professionally in museums and Prehistoric Archaeology, with particular international roles in the field of the Rock Art; my attention to the world of film and television has led me to attend important protagonists, and so, I can confirm the full professionalism and creativity of my friend Max Bartoli.
Dario Seglie
IFRAO-UNESCO Liaison Officer