Introduction to Emanuela Galliussi & Dean Ronalds. 4:44 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Lee Skye. Recoded via Zoom: 4/9/2025 . Miami-Udine, Italy.
EMANUELA GALLIUSSI graduated from the Accademia Nazionale D’Arte Drammatica Silvio D’Amico in Rome. She acted in Film, TV and Theatre with top directors like Gabriele Muccino, Cristina Comencini, and James McTeigue. She collaborated with Juliette Binoche on “Certified Copy” by Abbas Kiarostami. She formed the production company FALLING UP FILMS under which she produced “Fourplay” with Tammy Blanchard, Dominic Fumusa, Bryan Greenberg and “The View from Up Here” with Melissa Leo and Leila Bekhti. Her latest film “ZOE” which she directed, wrote, produced and starred in, had it’s world premiere at the 2025 Miami Film Festival.
DEAN RONALDS is a prolific writer and director who has worked in shorts, features and television. He has directed six features and worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Melissa Leo, Judd Nelson, Dave Foley, Tony Todd and Bill Mosely. In 2016, Ronalds co-wrote and directed the horror feature “#Screamers,” which played at the Torino International Film Festival, Telluride Horror show and Nightmares Film Festival among others. Ronalds also wrote for the second season of Tyler Perry’s widely successful TBS sitcom “Meet the Browns.” His latest film “ZOE,” had it’s world premiere at the 2025 Miami Film Festival and was nominated for the Marimbas Award.
— https://www.fallingupfilms.com/
The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 7 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 0:44 sec.
I am surprised to hear that theatre was more available to you than cinema in Udine.
SERENDIPITY: 1:37 min.
When did you meet and start working together?
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:57 min.
Who are some of the filmmakers — actors, directors, screenwriters, producers — who most influenced you?
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 5:22 min.
You seem like a very thoughtful, measured person Emanuela. Yet the title character you created for your movie “Zoe” is very frenetic. Is frenzy a part of you too?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 2:57 min.
What are some of your criteria for successful outcomes?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:47 min.
You said you worked with a small crew, but there is so much movement in “Zoe,” so many scenes where you are walking and talking. How did you accomplish that with a small crew?
VALUES FIRST-RATE EDUCATION: 5:08 min.
Screenwriting is a challenging pursuit. How did you transition from acting to screenwriting?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 0:56 sec.
When you were writing dialogue in various languages for “Zoe,” did you write all the dialogue in English and then translate it?
