■FEATURE To struggle to produce and direct a film for years and to have that film win best director award in the Manhattan Film Festival sounds like a Hollywood story itself. In fact, it is what has happened with “Stealing Chanel,” a first time feature film that was produced and directed by Long Island City film maker, Roberto Mitrotti. “Fashion houses pay workers two dollars a day in Sri Lanka, turn around and sell it for thousands of dollars on Madison Avenue. The world is out of balance. I just help redistribute the assets. Who’s really robbing who?” These are the words of Giorgio, the central character in the new movie “Stealing Chanel”. It is a movie that has taken over eight years from concept to final production and has been filmed partly in Long Island City as the first feature directed by Mitrotti. Mitrotti is a highly successful documentary film maker and his own series on CBS Television but in a previous role, was in the fashion business with his own boutiques in New York and Los Angeles. His experience in the fashion industry gave him knowledge of shop lifting as part of the fashion business environment. “I wanted to use this film to begin to go behind the scenes of professional shop lifting. It is a world full of corruption, some of which shows Giorgio’s activities and his personal justification for his actions,” Mitrotti said. “The movie is about the temptations and attractions of the world of fashion. The brand names are global and influence the purchasing of products that cost thousands of dollars; products that can be made inexpensively in developing nations. I saw Giorgio as a man who loves and detests this world; a man wanting to share the great fashion designs with people that can never afford them.” Mitrotti used a number of locations in Long Island City as backdrop contrasting with the fashion empires of Manhattan. Against this background, the film is also a love affair between two very different characters who are brought together after Giorgio has been caught shop lifting and is in danger of a long prison sentence. There is a great deal of humor with the development of this unlikely romance between the two main characters. The casting of the two lead performances was challenging. Mitrotti selected Adam Lavorgna to play Giorgio and Lydia Hearst as his brutal therapist who becomes his lover. Adam is an actor best known for “I’ll be Home for Christmas” (1998), “Seventh Heaven” (1996) and “Outside Providence” (1999). Lydia Hearst is an actress and supermodel (granddaughter of publishing scion William Randolph Hearst) who is actively pursuing her acting career and has played supporting roles in several films since 2009. Lydia can also be seen regularly guest starring in the new network series from Eli Roth and Blumhouse to South of Hell, which premiered in November. The film was first shown in November at the Museum of the Moving Image to an enthusiastic audience. Shorty afterwards, it was shown at the Manhattan Film Festival where it won best director award. Outstanding performances were also recognized by the judges when presenting best actress award to Lydia Hearst and Honorable Mention to Adam Lavorgna. “Stealing Chanel” will be airing on the Lifetime/A & E Channel in the US and in major overseas markets in the new year. Evi smitten by fashion Photo courtesy Director of Photography Olga Vasquez Photo courtesy Director of Photography: Olga Vasquez
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