Meet Alessia Mandanici | Filmmaker, Designer, Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alessia Mandanici and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alessia, how do you think about risk?
I believe living a creative life essentially means being okay with risks accompanying you constantly in all shapes and forms. With the path I’ve chosen, I can feel the presence of certain risks on a daily basis: What if my film doesn’t get picked up by festivals and won’t get an audience? What if the things that interest me don’t interest anyone else right now? What if the screenplay I’ve been working on for 5 years doesn’t get financed? The ultimate risk of failing, no matter how hard you’ve tried, is real for anyone who tries to lift the veil between an idea and its actual creation. I try to stay vigilant to those risks not growing into paralyzing fear, which is something that can happen so perfidiously quickly that you don’t even notice. Whenever a destructive voice becomes too loud to ignore, it helps me to picture a silent passenger whose presence I’ve recognized without giving room for a conversation. I think no matter the result, you cannot but come out stronger on the other end, for with the risk, you took action as well, and that kept you moving forward.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of or excited about? How did you get to where you are professionally? Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
In German, there are two words for home: Zuhause, the place you and/or your family inhabit. And Heimat, the place that inhabits you; the map of a random birthplace, carved into your bones, whether you want it or not. I never felt I had the latter. Growing up in Germany in the 90s with my name and appearance, I was considered too Italian to be treated as one of their own. In Italy, on the other hand, it was flipped, and I was “the German girl” for not being able to communicate in the language properly, not even with my own family. At some point I was convinced of having two blood circuits in my body, one for the Italian side and one for the German side, and came to think there was simply no space left for what was just me. The sense of incompleteness of my identity, nationality, home, and not-being-able-to-belong now resurface as characters in my films and everything I feel drawn to. Art, in my case film, can make the beautiful gift of letting you in on someone’s perspective and perception of the world, on a tiny or grand scale, no matter how foreign it might be to your personal life. Time, place, and age—the things we tend to judge in an instant without even realizing it—are entirely irrelevant when it comes to a connection you make with a story. Being a filmmaker allows me to have a connection with people I do not have in the outside world and gives me a sense of belonging within a craft rather than a place. But I didn’t realize that until my 30s. It was music that found me first, early in my life. I started learning classical guitar when I was seven and jazz saxophone at age nine. I played in a variety of bands, expanded into other genres, began to sing and write songs, and formed my own bands. It was (and still is) a form of expression and connection with others in a language that’s universal. When it became clear that I wouldn’t turn music into a profession, I turned toward what felt like the other side of my interests: the visual. I remember how in design school I was constantly told I would have to “decide” at some point whether I wanted to be a designer or a musician, as I was also very active musically. The narrative of being stuck in between two things somehow continued and frustrated me deeply. I felt misunderstood and pruned in my artistic abilities and interests. In my second year at design school in Germany, I took a class called “film project” and made a 16-minute short with my classmate. My school had no film department, but one wonderful professor—shoutout to Günther Klein!—who sensed our hunger and encouraged us to make whatever film we could see unfolding in our heads. A year later, that first short, “Spieglein, Spieglein”, won an audience award at a local German film festival and got picked up for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival as a Berlinale Hessen Talent the same year. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then, but I understood one thing immediately: film was the only thing that didn’t ask me to “choose one side.” It is an audio-visual medium, and it embraces the fact that my skills and interests cannot be narrowed down into a bite that’s quick to swallow. Being a musician informs so much how I experience the flow of a scene, how I edit, and how I approach sound. It even enables me to write scores. Not one second has being a musician been in the way of telling a story. Equally, being a trained designer allows me to better communicate my vision with a storyboard, compose my shots carefully, and be very specific about set design and visual details. Even after a movie is completed, graphic design skills are crucial to packaging your film for festivals. During my time in the US and at NYU Grad Film, I was able to zoom in on each of those skills and put the pieces together into the bigger picture of being a storyteller. I feel very grateful to be finally standing at the source of my creative well. All I can do now is continue the flow and trust it’ll be a stream one day, hopefully one that will nourish others, too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the things I find most telling about a city apart from its appearance is their book stores and local radio stations. I love driving around without set destinations, soaking in unknown places with an unexpected score coming out of the car radio. Treasure hunting in the used book section at The Last Bookstore is definitely a must in LA. Used books just find you. I remember randomly picking up a graphic novel called Schappi by a German visual artist named Anna Haifisch (which translates to Anna Sharkfish—what a great name!). I became a big fan of her work instantly. I would definitely also stop by Book Soup. Its iconic location on Sunset Boulevard and the fact it has been around since the mid-70s fill me with LA-specific nostalgia. It is the same sentiment that fills my heart when driving Mullholland Drive at night and looking down onto the twinkly city. If you’re a film lover, Edmund’s Book Store is a must. I will always cherish the X Files pilot script my partner Nathan secretly got me as a present on our first trip to LA. Stories Books & Café is another great independent book store filled with tasty literary and caffeinated treasures. Even if you don’t end up buying anything in book stores, browsing and being surrounded by so many ideas on so many pages is an inspiring experience. A perfect day for me includes some form of nature, and LA has plenty to offer. I really love the Baldwin Hill Scenic Overlook and watching the light change. The view is stunning in all directions, and especially toward sunset, it is wonderful to see all hues of fading sunlight. I love that LA offers such a variety of nature. You can hike in the hills, take long walks at the beach, or swim in the ocean. Being from Europe and growing up with an image of LA as seen in movies, places like Malibu or Venice will always feel somewhat magical and out of reach, even if you stand right in front of them. Abbott Kinney Boulevard offers a great stroll toward Venice Boardwalk if you’re in a shopping mood. I highly recommend stopping by Made In Earth, one of my favorite jewelry boutiques. They sell one-of-a kind objects, and I caught myself believing the ring I got there was a magic ring. If you’re hungry, you can pop into The Butcher’s Daughter across the street and enjoy a vegan meal guaranteed to be tasty at any time of the day. Alternatively, you can refuel with coffee and tasty brunch or lunch snacks at Sightglass Coffee in Hollywood. If you’re a thrift and vintage lover like myself, check out the armada of great vintage shops on Melrose Ave., between Fairfax and LaBrea.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am deeply grateful to Nathan Hasz, my wonderful partner, creative collaborator, and bringer of light, even to the darkest places. For teaching me how to love and how to accept being loved. I am thankful to my lovely friend and colleague Lana Bolycheva, whose wild female spirit found mine, nurturing it in moments when I thought it was lost. And I am grateful to my inspiring sister, Sabrina Mandanici, for broadening my eyes, ears, and voice and for filling my oldest memories with precious sister love.

Website: https://alessiamandanici.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwarzmoll

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alessia-mandanici

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/alessiamandanici

Image Credits
Lara Pfeifer, Steve Jeter