Meet Annabelle Andreone | Filmmaker, Actor, Student

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

Hi Annabelle, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Resilience and a strong mindset. Despite being 16 years old and only experiencing bits and pieces of the industry, I have built up habits based off of my rejections. I am sensitive, and while that can be a negative or a positive, both success and rejection impact me greatly. Just in the past 12 months I have faced my share of success — from participating in college summer film programs to a successful film shoot to an award for my art. And as expected, I also faced rejection — lots of it. All the adults around me consistently remind me of the hardships of the industry, and while it’s discouraging, it is also preparing me for my future. This has lead me to learn that mindset is everything. When I was rejected from an opportunity I had put months of work sweat and tears towards, I could either let it crush me, curling up in my bed and let go of my immense passion that I share for my work in film. Or, I could let the rejection move past me, repeating mantras such as, “rejection is redirection” and “every no is another step towards a yes” — and of course some crying and curling up in bed for a little too :). Many of these mantras are overlooked, and over-repeated to the point that they seem to lose their meaning, yet, no matter what it is, having a little phrase that keeps you going is so important, and has been the main habit leading towards my success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I made my first film at 7 years old on my mom’s Iphone, which was an Imovie trailer. From that moment, it became my go-to hobby in my free time. My mother then handed me her old Sony camcorder, which I used to film everything around me — including a video of a family dinner where my grandparents asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, and I responded with, “A director!”, clearly confident in what my future was. Since then, I continued to film more and more. I progressed from iMovies to independent videos, where my friends and I created our first production studio during quarantine in 2020. That lasted all of two years, as we were shoved back into school at 13, and I began creating films rather than essays for assignments. I then went to high school, and slowly started to build a group of other filmmakers around me.

I am greatly inspired by other women in film — luminaries such as Greta Gerwig, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, and Alice Brooks. Filmmakers like these women let me envision a future for myself in this business, and also their artistic styles allow for me to learn and build my own style from their creations. My friends are all in similar artistic fields, ranging from acting to theatre to film production, and all of our paths intersect. I am an actress, and I love collaborating with other friends who are also actors. My real life experiences with my friends inspire choices in my acting or stories in my films. And my own family’s unique culture, one that melds both East Coast and West Coast, and both Judaism and Christianity, add a distinct hue to the art I create.

My films are a product of my surroundings, which make them so special. Each little detail in a film you see is inspired by someone important to me in my life, someone I aspire to be, or someone I feel deserves to be spotlighted. That’s what makes filmmaking so beautiful — each and every person has a different story to tell, and each story is built up by life experiences. I aspire to continue to build meaningful connections with those around me that will fuel the art I produce.

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.
Coffee shops and thrifting are my go-to’s in Los Angeles. Some food spots I love are Super Domestic, Nate ‘n Al’s, Homestate, Alta, Childish Gambino’s Jellyman Boba, and Kura Sushi Bar which is super fun. With my friends, we love shopping at flea markets – mainly Silverlake Flea – the Goodwill Bins, and the Grove. In terms of places to explore for free, I really enjoy surfing at Ocean Park in Santa Monica, walking around Silverlake or Abbot Kinney, or hiking up the Baldwin Hills Overlook and doing a sunset photoshoot.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without a doubt, this is dedicated to the friends and family that support my creative pursuits. From my immediate family ready to assist on my shoots in any way, to my extended family who is always ready to watch a new film I make or a new performance I am in — I am eternally grateful. To my friends, I am thankful for their eagerness to be on set with me, watch my new films, assist in providing endless ideas when I hit writer’s block, and for being my main source of creative inspiration — to the friends I know I can always be comfortable with, laugh with, sing with, dance with, cry with, and be supported by.

Instagram: @annabelle.georgia.andreone

Youtube: AnnabelleAndreoneArts

Image Credits
Headshot credit to Joanna Degeneres