Julia Campanelli Creates Shelter Film for Female-Driven Projects; Premieres with '116'

Julia Campanelli, Artistic Director of critically acclaimed Shelter Theatre Group, has announced the creation of Shelter Film LLC, an independent film company based in New York City dedicated to creating film and content featuring female and minority protagonists, writers and filmmakers.

Shelter Film, located in Manhattan, has recently completed its first project, the short narrative film, 116, written and directed by Campanelli, with cinematographer Lauretta Prevost, and editor Dina Alexander. Julia Haltigan composed the original song, "More Than Just One Night' for the soundtrack. The film was produced by Campanelli and Nick Atkinson, and is for festival submission.

The screenplay for 116 was an official selection to the following festivals: 2016 Beverly Hills International Film Festival, 2016 Sacramento International Film Festival, 2016 Action On Film International Film Festival, and was short-listed for the 2016 Boston International Film Festival.

116 is an intimate look at the relationship between an older woman and a younger man. It is a voyeuristic journey into the realities of human interactions and poses the questions, is it the power of love or the love of power that keep people together, how far will they go to stay together, and can love exist without equality. The film reveals a bizarre ritual, an unexpected ending, and is told through the prism of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. It is bi-lingual, in English and French.

Also an actress, Campanelli stars with Sean Yves Lessard. She can be seen starring in the upcoming NBCUniversal remake of Francis Ford Coppola's first feature, DEMENTIA 13, premiering nation-wide October 10, 2017.

To address the gender, age and racial bias in the film industry, the dearth of quality roles available to women, and especially mature women, Shelter Film will create projects with complex and compelling female protagonists. As she did with Shelter Theatre Group, Campanelli is creating a platform for female and minorities' voices to be heard, using film to reach a wider audience.