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 Club, Innocent 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.
--
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
