Think working with your sibling sounds like a challenging repeat of your past? Not to Matteo and Elisabetta Zengaro. For this brother/sister duo, working together is one of the things they do best.
Last summer, The University of Alabama students launched their own film studio, Mezzo Studios. And in the fall, the pair finished their second film together, titled “Rescuer.”
The documentary has already been met with international success. It was selected by Italian film festival Rome Prisma Film Awards to be shown at its December festival.
“When we found out our film was selected by Rome, it was an awesome feeling,” said Elisabetta. “I didn’t know how the film would take abroad, since the documentary is about an American family. But the fact that it has an international interest is evidence of the family’s impact.”
“Rescuer” tells the story of Dr. Todd Davis, the former U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who was first on the scene of the 1999 plane crash that took the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.
Davis happened to be Elisabetta’s professor while both Zengaros were students at Delta State University. After his time with the Coast Guard, Davis became an assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation at Delta State.
With the approach of the 20th anniversary of the plane crash, and their connection to Davis, it seemed only fitting to make their second film on Davis’ recollection of the accident.
“We thought it would be a really interesting perspective to document,” said Elisabetta. “To show the emotions involved from the rescue team’s point of view, and to really shed light on a side of history that got, I believe, a little overlooked.”
Their latest film fits in with the Zengaros’ preference of making historical documentaries. Their first film was on Margaret Wade, the ’70s era women’s basketball coach at Delta State.
The Zengaros, who call Cleveland, Mississippi, home, are both graduate students at UA.
Matteo is in his first year in the master’s in journalism program. He says the University is giving him new opportunities and the artistic flexibility to make new documentaries.
And Elisabetta, a second-year doctoral candidate in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, credits UA for giving her practical experience for her future career, as well as for jump-starting her current career.
“My brother and I attended a small business workshop sponsored by the University,” she said. “And that helped us start our own film studio.”
The duo didn’t get to attend the Dec. 8 showing of their film at Rome Prisma, as a trip to Rome didn’t fit a student budget. But they were thrilled the film was selected. After all, it was great publicity. And the siblings’ Italian heritage made getting selected for the festival even more meaningful.
The Zengaros hope the film continues to get the attention they believe it deserves.
“It was really cool to get accepted into the Rome festival,” said Matteo. “But now we just hope the film adds to its success in the spring with other festivals and audiences.”
In the meantime, they will continue making films and growing their studio together, because, as they put it, it’s been working well for them so far.
The Zengaros plan to release “Rescuer” on Amazon Prime this summer. You can watch a trailer at this website.