Vittoria Rizzardi Penalosa - Screenwriter/Director

Let's enter the filmmaking world with Vittoria Rizzardi Penalosa's experience as a screenwriter and director. 🤩

@its_vitty on Instagram

“I started writing scripts when I was studying law in London during undergrad. As soon as my graduation started approaching I applied for a Master’s program in screenwriting at USC and, thanks to the portfolio I spent years building in the UK, I got in! I moved to L.A after I graduated from Law School and have been living here since. In these years I’ve developed scripts and directed short movies, my latest one got nominated at the Cannes Film Festival and another one won the best web-series award at HBO Latino Film Festival!

Growing up, I felt like I wasn’t really going anywhere using my brain. Writing was the first validation I had that went beyond how I looked like. My high school English teacher, who is a novelist in the UK, was the first person that made me believe in my abilities as a writer, praising my essays. From then onwards I started writing more and more, sharing the things I wanted to say, which indeed boosted my courage and self-esteem for actually considering this path as a future career. Although I initially studied law, I understood how essential it is to have a voice and to always believe that your message is important. It’s all about confidence and trusting yourself, even though you’ll get a lot of rejections, and know that you are way more than what people might say about you.”

What is the common thread that can be found in your work?

“I am a big believer in the process of discovering one’s vision, so I wouldn't say that all of my movies are completely correlated to each other. One main aspect of my work is that my movies follow characters who are oppressed in some way, and focus on their journey to find their identity or voice. In Clarity and Chaos, the short that got nominated for the Cannes Film Festival, the movie is set in a dystopian society where people have to go around wearing labels indicating their sexuality and gender. Penelope, the lead character, is targeted because she picked the toughest label and is eventually forced to enroll in a sexual deviancy hospital to pick a new label for herself. She feels insecure because society made her feel wrong, so her journey starts once she realizes that she is not wrong. She realizes that to change her life and her environment, she must raise her voice."

What inspires you for your work?

"In terms of fueling my work, I couldn’t live without poetry. Whenever I think I am lost or lack inspiration, I read poems, old and new. In terms of sanity, I like to go to the gym and do yoga at least twice a week. When I was living in L.A I suffered from panic attacks, so this definitely helped me.

When I am very stressed, I breathe deeply and hold my breath for a couple of seconds, and release. Whenever I have those moments of weight, especially while working with new producers, I remind myself that I am not saving babies, honestly (laughs). Like this script is not going to save babies, I am not a doctor, literally, so I tell myself to chill out. It’s fine, we don’t have to stress that much.”

What is your advice to people who aspire to have a carreer like yours?

“My advice for aspiring screenwriters and directors is to not feel the pressure of having to understand what you want to do early in life. It’s ok if you feel that you are doing a degree you don’t like, it’s okay if you still don’t know what you're gonna do. Everything that you experience in life, especially connected to education, will somehow inform and help you get the career that you want. Law wasn’t for me, but now I am doing what I want. Going through a Law degree made me gain the confidence that I needed to approach my master’s in screenwriting and get into the film industry. If I could go back, I would do the exact same thing."

What are your upcoming plans and projects?

"In the future I plan to continue my path as an artist and settle down in London, so I travel more easily between New York and Italy. I also want to concentrate on my first debut feature that is going to be set in Italy where I talk about my culture, which is something personal since I grew up here. I am currently sending my script around to various producers, so I hope that develops quite soon. I’m also developing a TV series with an Italian actor and producer that I truly believe in, hopefully I’m not the only one (laughs). Lastly, I’m definitely trying to gain some money shooting music videos and commercials in London. So I guess I am taking a break from Hollywood, but planning to go back in the near future.”

On Instagram: @its_vitty