Mentor Profile: Livia de Paolis
LIVIA DE PAOLIS DOES IT ALL
By Robert Delaney
Livia De Paolis is a writer, director, actor, and producer, and she uses her prodigious and varied creative skills to shape a distinct vision. Growing up, Livia had a front row seat to the mechanics of film production. Her grandfather founded the De Paolis I.N.C.I.R. Studios in Italy in 1941, and her family ran this iconic film studio for decades. The studio was incredibly prolific, producing over 2000 films, working with directors including Frederico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Roberto Rosselini. Before becoming a filmmaker, Livia received a Masters in Philosophy at Sapienza University of Rome, then studied acting at Duse International Centre of Cinema and Theatre. Although she does not use her background in philosophy directly in her work, the years exercising her mind with her studies benefits her filmmaking. “It was more like push ups for the brain! It is a way of looking at things, what sparks your interest, what are the questions to ask. Maybe that is what is informed by a philosophy background. A critical, inquisitive mind.”
Emily Carey and Louis Partridge who play Teen Wendy and Peter Pan in THE LOST GIRLS
It was her lifelong understanding of film production that created a smooth transition into this world. “When I decided to become a filmmaker there were certain things that I just knew. I knew how movies get made. I don’t remember a point in my life where I said, ‘how do they do that?’ Because I grew up in that situation.” This background came in handy when she took on so much responsibility on her latest film project, The Lost Girls, which is a spin-off of the Peter Pan story, and told from Wendy’s perspective. It has been a long time project for Livia: “For me it was five years in the making. I actually took part in Stowe Story Labs in 2015 with the very first draft of the script.”
Image via Myriad Pictures.
Livia wrote, directed, produced, and acted in the film, which is currently in post production. All of this time allowed her to create a very distinct vision during production: “I had a very clear vision. I had made a look book, and in the end, it is unbelievable how close the actual movie is to the look book.” Livia also directed, wrote, and acted in Emoticon ;) (2014), which was her first feature film.
Besides film, Livia also has extensive experience acting in the New York City theater. She had the opportunity to work with the renowned avant-garde playwright Richard Foreman, who is as well founder of the Ontological Hysteric Theater in St Mark's Church. Acting in the NYC theater community was a new experience for Livia, and also an opportunity to expand her creative horizons. “I was involved with this company where actors were encouraged to write, writers were encouraged to direct. I think that was very nurturing creatively.” This multifaceted mindset and her passion for acting extend into her directing, where she uses her own experience to empathize with actors and nurture the growth of younger artists. “I feel like I understand the difficulty the actor is having. It’s good when you are working with an actor to understand what that actor needs at that time.”
Livia was a valued member of our Labs in 2015, where she had a great experience workshopping The Lost Girls. “My experience at the 2015 labs was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done! The atmosphere is so non-competitive, so nurturing, it’s a very cool environment. It was a luxury to take time to go to a beautiful place with a bunch of writers and exchange ideas and read each other's work.” We are so happy to see her continued success and that our programs could help her develop her creative vision.
Robert Delany is an Academic Intern with Stowe Story Labs. He graduated in 2020 with an MA in cinema studies from NYU and was a Program Associate for the 2020 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, where he now conducts interviews for their “Filmmaker Spotlight Series”. Robert also writes for Split Tooth Media, an independent film and music publication based in Portland, Oregon. He is currently acting as a researcher on the film ASCO: WITHOUT PERMISSION, directed by Travis Gutierrez Senger and produced by North of Now. He was also an Office Assistant at Senger’s production company, Asa Nisi Masa Films, where he focused on the development of numerous projects. Robert graduated in 2018 with a BS in film and TV from Boston University’s School of Communication. Robert Delany was selected for this academic internship to focus on interviews and other writing for The Story Board, Stowe Story Labs’ bi-monthly newsletter. He will also assist in the establishment of a curated short film platform for Stowe Alumni.
