Meet Federica Carlino | Director/Casting Director

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

Hi Federica, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Because I learned at a very young age that I was more comfortable expressing myself through images, videos, and music, art is truly something that gave me the opportunity to reach more people and to let them know that what they feel is valid and that they are not alone in this journey.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born in Milan, Italy. My family moved around Europe for work, so I had the opportunity to meet new cultures. I grew up in the Netherlands, and there I heard all these incredible northern tales that influenced my life and creativity. I moved back to Italy for most of my education. I then studied filmmaking, acting, photography, editing, VFX, and makeup in Milan and makeup prosthetics in Rome with Dario Argento’s makeup artist, Sergio Stivaletti. I also studied in London at Richmond Upon Thames College. I subscribed to New York Film Academy newsletter when I was just 13, after watching an episode about this academy on MTV. One day, when I was 24, I received an email that informed subscribers that they were coming to Europe because they were looking for some European students to move to the US. I went and brought my portfolio. By that time I had already shot some shorts, and a TV series and I won a few festivals. I received the news a few months later that I got a scholarship and I moved to Los Angeles in 2016 and I’m now a New York Film Academy BFA graduate. There I realized I love casting and I’ve been a casting director since then. This year I became the founder of the Morgana Film Festival. I recently learned I am among the most awarded filmmakers in Italy and I’m featured in the IMDb book dedicated to Italian Filmmakers.

My stories are mostly raw, based on real events of my life and my goal is to be relatable to my audience. I made one TV series about The DC world of Batman’s villains and it went well, I definitely used my dark and gothic soul to add some personal touches to something that people already knew. Other than that isolated project, I mostly have this 90s nostalgia in me that I have to express through my shots. One example can be `The Monster’s Club, it’s a short that talks about three teenage friends that want to win a video competition on TV, something like America’s Funniest Home Videos, they decide to record a prank in a park in their city but something goes terribly wrong.. It’s a short about friendships, coming of age, and revenge, and it’s doing pretty well in festivals. In my project, you will also see my love for castings and how much I care about having the right people in my stories. My biggest challenges were finding adult and young versions of the same characters and finding twins in a very short span of time and I was able to cast two girls that look alike but weren’t related at all. It was hard but it’s so satisfying.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Burbank is one of my favorite places, definitely, the mall and Fuji restaurant, their sushi is the best on Earth. Americana in Glendale, Universal Studios, I would bring her to the DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost Tour and anything Halloween related so the Hay ride in Griffith Park, Universal studios again for Halloween.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Other than my family, I would say Steven Spielberg that needs no shoutout and my directing instructor James Pasternack ha passed almost a year ago, he truly shaped my directing skills and he was the most caring teacher I’ve ever had. He helped me with everything he could and I am very grateful.

Website: https://linktr.ee/federica.alice.carlino

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federica.alice.carlino/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/federica-alice-carlino-20443288/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@federica.alice.carlino

Other: IMDB : https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8960305/?ref_=nmbio_ov

Image Credits
All mine