MEET THE DIRECTORS
ROSSO FILMS INTERNATIONAL
art house films that inspire a human connection.
Stefano Da Frè & Laura Pellegrini are the President & Vice President of Rosso Films International. RFI is a global film production company with offices in New York City, New York & Montreal, Canada. Their past clients include NBC Universal, as well as other commercial clients.
RFI produces narrative films and social documentaries that have been BAFTA + Oscar-Qualified.
Their most notable documentary, “The Girl Who Cannot Speak,” screened at the Meet-The-Press Film Festival (in collaboration with AFI). It earned the Top 5 ‘Coup De Foudre’ recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, and went on to screen at two prestigious Oscar-Qualifiers: the St. Louis International Film Festival & Festival REGARD.
This past year, the film won a Platinum REMI Award at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival and “Best Documentary” at the Switzerland International Film Festival.
RFI’s company motto is: "There must exist a story within every frame."
MEET THE PRODUCERS
Stefano Da Frè - Director & Producer
Filmmaker Stefano Da Frè, the President and owner of Rosso Films International, won the Coup de Foudre at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Alongside his co-director Laura Pellegrini, their documentary, "The Girl Who Cannot Speak," was screened at NBC's Meet the Press Film Festival (in collaboration with AFI) and at the Academy Award-Qualifying Festival REGARD. The film screened in competition at another Oscar-Qualifier, the St. Louis International Film Festival, in November 2019.
“The Girl Who Cannot Speak” has continued its festival streak into 2020. In April, the film won a Platinum REMI award at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival and was awarded “Best Documentary Short” at the Switzerland International Film Festival in June.
Rosso Films International is proud to create emerging political documentaries & narrative feature films about women, people of color, and disabilities.
Brandon De Los Reyes - Producer
Brandon is a content producer and director from Long Island, now based in New York City. He has produced powerful documentaries, music videos, as well as short films.
In the past, he has worked in the talent management and production departments for the world class production company Anonymous Content. Before that, he worked for the marketing team at Sawyer Studios Entertainment, and for the production team at Click3X. His involvement with these companies has brought him onto projects for clients like Crest, AT&T, Little Caesars, Carefree, Chase Bank and CBS The Amazing Race.
Shortly after, he went on to produce, write and direct content for clients and distributors like NBC, Same Plate Ent. (Sony Music), Donor Music, and Storytellers Ent.
Julia Bolt - Creative Producer
Julia is a Creative Producer based out of Manhattan. She has worked on documentary projects such as AKA Jan Roe (FX), Quincy (Netflix), Screened Out (Jon Hyatt), and Code Switching (Interlock Media). She has also worked in Reality TV, working on programs such as Freakshow Cakes, Get Out of My Room, Long Lost Family and narrative films such as Hustlers (STX Entertainment) and the King of Knives.
With Rosso Films International, Julia has worked on The Girl Who Cannot Speak (NBCUniversal) and The Moon in Deep Winter, which won the award for Best Screenplay at the Chelsea Film Festival. Julia loves being a part of the Rosso Family and looks forward to making more beautiful films together.
Ethan Manning - Associate Producer
Ethan is a filmmaker and entrepreneur currently pursuing a Double Major in Film & Television and Economics at Fordham University - Lincoln Center. He has accrued over 300 hours of on-set experience ranging from ABC television shows, to professional documentaries and features, to graduate thesis films from NYU, Columbia, and Loyola Marymount. Besides being on set, Ethan is also passionate about elevating the film industry on the business side. In the summer of 2019, he became the founder and CEO of a startup movie ticketing service, set to debut in early 2021. The service aims to assist theaters in their recovery post Covid-19.
Laura Pellegrini - Director & Producer
Filmmaker Laura Pellegrini is the Vice President and co-owner of Rosso Films International. Two of Laura & Stefano’s films have premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Alongside her co-director Stefano Da Frè, their film “Tu Me Manques” won “Best Short Film” at the World of Film International Festival in Glasgow, Scotland & the Silk Road Film Festival in Dublin, Ireland.
Their documentary "The Girl Who Cannot Speak," was featured on NBC's streaming platform and screened at the Oscar-Qualifying Festival REGARD in March 2019. In November 2019, it was featured in competition at another Oscar-Qualifier: the St. Louis International Film Festival!
Nolan Kelly - Coordinating Producer
Nolan has worked for Rosso as a Coordinating Producer since 2017, and worked as an Executive Producer for “The Girl Who Cannot Speak,” which made its premiere at Cannes in 2018. The documentary was prominently featured at NBC & AFI’s Meet the Press Film Festival, as well as the Oscar-Qualifying Festival REGARD.
Nolan has also covered Cannes, TriBeCa, and the New York Film Festival as an entertainment correspondent and arts journalist for The Pavlovic Today.
A.J. DeSimone - Cinematographer & Associate Producer
A.J. is a cinematographer based in New York City. He studied at the School of Visual Arts and worked closely under ASC cinematographer Dejan Georgevich. Since then, A.J. has shot commercials for Adidas and Nike, HBO pilots, music videos, and award-winning documentaries for Netflix. He shot and produced “The Girl Who Cannot Speak” (NBCUniversal) & “The Day I Had To Grow Up.”
E.J. Argenio - Executive Producer
E.J. is a Film, TV, and Radio Producer based in New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Communications & Rhetorical Studies. His past works including being a Host for ESPN NY 98.7 FM Radio & a Producer for MLB.com.
His most recent works include “The Day I Had To Grow Up” (2020) and “In The Field” (2020). Told through the eyes of a once promising local TV reporter, “In The Field” is about the media’s response to police-related minority shootings.
Grace Stenson - Associate Producer
Grace is an undergraduate student at Fordham University - Lincoln Center, where she is studying Film and Television. She is passionate about the art of filmmaking, with an intent of pursuing a career in the Entertainment Industry. Grace has worked with Rosso Films International since the fall of 2019, when she worked as an Assistant Producer on the feature film A Dream Beyond The Dark. The film stars Clara McGregor, daughter of Ewan McGregor (Disney’s “Christopher Robin.”) Grace is currently an Associate Producer on Rosso Films’ upcoming documentary.