We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Celeste Luccitti. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Celeste below.

Alright, Celeste thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

While all my projects are meaningful in their own way, my most recent project is definitely the MOST meaningful thus far in my filmmaking journey. I took a short story that my dad wrote, adapted it for the screen and turned it into a coming-of-age story, and directed and produced it as a short film, entitled The Zip-Up Man. It was my first time being completely behind the camera, and it was amazing—from the incredible cast and crew that all worked so well together, to the fantastic talent of the many young actors we had on set to bring this story to life, it was all so wonderful and great practice for a feature film, which I’d like to do next, ideally!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Oh wow, it feels like so much to cover! Basically, it boils down to the fact being creative and into the performing arts has always been a passion of mine—I started writing poetry I was ten years old, then moved on to short stories, a novella, and then work on a large novel that is still in the works (I’d love to finish it someday…hopefully soon!), and now I’ve been writing screenplays!

When it comes to film, I got into it by happenstance during 2020–I had always wanted to be an actress, and I temporarily lost my job due to COVID; long story short, I ended up being contacted by a production company looking for extras for a feature film and they were paying a decent per diem amount. I took the job and I’m so glad I did—I met so many incredible people on that set, people I still talk to and work with today, all who helped to set me on my path to acting and eventually to filmmaking. I am currently working on post-production for my third short film, The Zip-Up Man, and I have a script (written by my dad, actually!) for a feature film that I’m dying to do!

I have so many films that I’ve acted in as well that have helped shaped me into the performer and director I am today—I’m always learning something new, and I relish every opportunity to do so! There’s so much talent in Arizona, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have found and worked with some amazing people here.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Oh man, I think I’d have to go with having the honor of telling a story to an audience; it sounds like such a simple thing, but when someone watches a film you’re in or that you’ve created, that person is letting you into their lives for a time, and getting to use that time to tell them a story, take them from reality and into your world is just such a privilege. I love storytelling, and it can be such a powerful tool to communicate and connect with others. It’s not something I take lightly, which is why I put everything I am and everything I have into every role and project I’m a part of.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To tell good stories! In today’s world, sometimes it can feel like there’s always another remake or live adaptation of something, and I think people are starving for good entertainment and just plain old good stories. My goal is to hopefully do that and entertain people with an interesting story, whether it be fifteen minutes long or a feature-length film. I hope so far I’ve done that, but I’m looking forward to learning more about the filmmaking craft so that I can bring more stories to life and hopefully capture more people’s hearts and minds with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Celesteluccitti
• Instagram: @celeste-luccitti
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celestecosplays?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@celesteluccitti?si=IsoUAm0eV2lxJvIw