We recently connected with Christine Celozzi and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is my short film, My Friends the Plants. My Friends the Plants came about in such an unpredictable manner that it taught me to just let go and trust the process and trust that everything is going to fall into place at the right time.

In 2019 I was solely focused on acting and began dabbling in writing. I was writing a very dark story with seemingly unlikable characters that I thought was very interesting. I started seeking notes from friends, and one friend also dabbles in dark writing. He took a look at it and helped me flesh out the story. While we working together, he suggested I submit for a grant through a foundation he was very familiar with. I didn’t know if it was the right path for me at the time, but in retrospect it would change my entire trajectory. For the best.

The grant was through the Shawna E . Shea Memorial Foundation Inc.’s Women in Film Fellowship program. It provides a grant and mentorship opportunity to a sole female-identifying first-time filmmaker in exchange for your film to be shown at their festival, the Shawna Shea Film Festival, the following year. Honestly, I didn’t think I would get it, but I figured why not? I didn’t have anything to lose at that point. So I submitted. And a few months later I heard back, and I was the recipient for that year.

Since this was 2019, we all know where this is going. Flash forward to end of February in 2020. COVID erupted, and everything changed. I had originally been in pre-production on the drama I was planning to film in my home state of Massachusetts. That was scrapped. I was starting at zero. I had no script. I had no ideas. The world was completely shut down. And a small part of me was like, well, this is where I cash in. This is where I give up.

And a much larger part of me was like no! We need to adapt. We need to figure this out. So I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote. And I threw spaghetti at the wall. And I failed. And I failed. And I failed. And then I gave up, and something great happened. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful support system made up of loving friends and a loving partner who care. Who are honest. Everything I wrote they would read and they would tell me the same thing over and over. This isn’t you. This isn’t your voice. We know you and we love you and we think you’re capable of more.

So when I gave up, I went for a very long walk, and on that walk I jokingly told them I was going to make a film about a woman being held hostage by vampire plants. And they said, “that’s the story”.

So I made my film, My Friends the Plants, and it was the first time I truly put my own voice into the world. And it’s reception was incredible and inspiring and motivating. It taught me that even though it’s scary to exist as yourself in the world, once you take that first step and realize that people are waiting to hear what you have to say, something cracks open inside you, something wonderful. And then you never want to stop.

Christine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sure! I’m an actor and a director. The biggest problem I typically solve is bringing characters and stories to life.

This is a craft I’m incredibly proud of for a few reasons. Number one, it’s a very primal piece of being a human. Creating is something we’ve done since the beginning of our species and curiosity has always driven that creativity. So it feels right when I’m exploring a character or story, especially one that is so far from relevant to myself. I feel like a kid who is constantly playing and constantly building, and I don’t think there’s anything else in the world I’m better equipped for.

Secondly, story telling is culturally what ties us together. And the most magnificent thing about making a film, no matter which position or role you’re playing, is it’s very much a collaborative effort–every piece matters. It takes a village, every time. It’s not something a person can build alone. Everything about it has to do with coming together for a greater purpose, which is making a story that will affect people in a certain way.

Thirdly, I love making stories that have layers. I will always create stories and characters that have layers. Something that makes you laugh, something that makes you feel empathy, something that makes you angry or annoyed. I want an audience to leave after watching my work feeling like they had an experience that was all encompassing, that was as real as it could be in an imaginary world.

The main thing I want people to know about my work is you’ll never get the same character twice. You’ll never get the same story twice. There’s a very intricate process I put myself through when I’m exploring the story or the character that is very psychological. For me it all comes down to perspective and building that perspective because each individual perspective is so unique and can never be duplicated. Even from scene to scene, my characters change, just like people do. They adjust to whoever they’re surrounded by. They have masks. They hide and they reveal and they hide again. And I think that’s important for making something that feels real because of how fluid the world and people and emotions are.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The most important thing society can do to support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem is show up. When your friend says they’re doing a stand up show, show up. When your family member says they have an art gallery coming up, show up. It’s so important for people to show up for one another and support one another. I know we all have busy lives, but even if we took an hour out of every month to show up and support someone’s art, that’s a huge difference for that person, for that community.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is taking this thing that lives inside of you, that’s trying to punch its way out, and allowing it to breathe and develop. And then bringing it to people who you know will help you take care of it, and they bring their background and their ideas to it, which allows it to grow.

Each project, each role is essentially a baby you’re birthing. I really dislike that analogy, but as I was typing, it was the only thing I could think of. It’s like growing a baby by yourself in your body for 9 months, going through the agonizing [at least I’ve heard] process of giving birth to it AKA putting your idea or work out into the world, which can be a terrifying, painful process. But then slowly, people start coming to the forefront to help you with it. It’s like that. And if all of the pieces fall together in the right place, then you have a fully developed piece of work. And if not, you adjust, you put more love into it, and you keep developing it until you feel it’s in a good place. Never perfect though. Because that can’t and won’t exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinecelozzi.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/christinecelozzi
• Youtube: youtube.com/@christinecelozzi

Image Credits
Seth Dacio