NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- SURVIVING ON LES, Tony
Amatullo's first feature film, has been named an Official
Selection of the 2021 Chelsea Film Festival. SURVIVING ON LES tells
the story of one long-time Lower East Side shop owner and his
attempt to stave off gentrification, keep the doors to his
haberdashery open and keep his traditions alive—albeit with a
little help from some very non-traditional friends. And Amatullo's
directorial debut, co-produced with Israeli producer David C. Lewis of DCL Media, is off to a strong
start.
IMBd writes: "Surviving on LES is a deep dive into a unique
New York City universe undergoing
a dramatic change. The Lower East Side of Manhattan is a space in cultural conflict and
its inhabitants are our window into this experience. The old guard
is navigating the transition from the golden age of immigrants and
mom and pop grocers to Matcha cafes and designer shops. Can the
long-time residents of the Lower East Side co-exist with the
gentrified hipsters staking out their own territory?"
Amatullo currently has SURVIVING ON LES in development as a
spin-off for theatrical production and two books under
option:
- Saeida Rouass' Assembly of the Dead, which she and Julia Hoff are adapting as a streamer series and
Amatullo, Rouass, Hoff and academy-award winning writer, director
and producer Bobby Moresco will
shoot in Morocco.
- The biography of the extraordinary life of Elaine Black Yoneda by Rachel Schreiber, that will be published in
December 2021 by Temple University Press and is being developed as a
feature film.
Amatullo spent a number of years in Los Angeles, working on both the production
and studio sides of the film industry, but it took his moving back
to New York City, his roots, for
him to finally direct his first feature film—SURVIVING ON LES.
"This film tells a New York
story close to my heart," says Amatullo. "The Lower East Side has
been the starting point for generations of Irish, Italian and
Jewish immigrants. As a boy growing up in the city, I would visit
Orchard Street with my parents on Sundays to buy everything from
shoes to pickles—and had some of the most amazing interactions with
the shop owners and sales people. They were masters of customer
service and closing a sale."
SURVIVING ON LES premiers at the Chelsea Film Festival and streams online 24/7
from October 14-17, 2021. Passes are
on sale now. Watch the trailer. Director, Tony Amatullo; Writers, Tony Amatullo, Marla
Roberts, David C. Lewis;
Executive Producers, Tony Amatullo,
David C. Lewis; Co-Producer
Joe-O'Donnell.
Media Contact:
Barbara Worton
Associate Producer SURVIVING ON LES
survivingonles@gmail.com
http://www.chelseafilm.org (for information on Chelsea Film Festival)
Media Contact
Barbara Worton,
survivingonles@gmail.com, +1 2018053176,
survivingonles@gmail.com
SOURCE SURVIVING ON LES