–Who is Michael Cipiti?

Michael hails from The Land, Cleveland. I consider myself to be a creative with a sarcastic sense of humor, a fitness enthusiast, and borderline vegan. I don’t eat meat or dairy. (I know, as an Italian/American, I’ll probably burn in hell for this.) I managed to get by on a recent trip to Italy/Sicily. I lost 8 lbs in 6 days. It’s my new Italian diet. I grew up in an Italian/American family, with very loving and supportive parents.

I have a very close extended family. I am very strict with diet and exercise, an ex-athlete, and I love to kayak. And I would also like to think that I am loyal to my family and friends.

-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

Although I have dabbled in filmmaking/writing in the past, I consider myself to be more of an actor. This particular project, ‘Confessions of Carlo Gambino’ was a passion project of mine. I had the opportunity to play Gambino in the movie ‘Gotti’ with John Travolta and Stacy Keach. I loved the character, and did extensive research. From that, I developed a couple of monologues and posted them on social media. Multiple people had reached out to me saying I should do a one man show, but I really wanted to do a film first. This particular script was born from those monologues. After some script collaboration with Edward Lee Cornett, an incredible musical score by Michele Josia, and the addition of the talented Larry Di Bartolomeo, this project grew wings.

-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?

I’m know I’m not alone in this, but there have been many times where I’ve either cried, laughed, was angry…along with a variety of other emotions, while watching a cinematic event. How can you not be changed by an experience that creates such emotional passion. Yes, I think the cinema can have an effect on society. Whether that be positive or negative is another story.

-What would you change in the world?

I feel like a Miss Universe contestant. “I would eliminate all change, especially pennies.” Seriously, there’s not one person that can change the world. There’s too much hate, inequality, homelessness, hunger and a host of other things that plague society. But I would certainly like to start with eliminating all of the things I just mentioned, and then some. But that would certainly take the efforts of more than just one man, more than one nation. I would like to make the changes necessary for that to happen.

-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?

I like to think I have good genes, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be around. After a slew of strikes this year, from writers, actors and directors, with a lot of discussion about AI, my hope is that the industry stays in the minds of men and or women. I certainly think technology will continue to grow, and will have an enormous impact in the years to come. But I certainly hope that there is another little Martin Scorsese, whose parents and older brother will take him to the theater, and allow him to develop a passion for cinema.