(Photo provided by Vincent and Alena Turturro)
Growing up, Cortland natives Vincent and Alena Turturro have always had a fascination with films.
“(My family) were all into (movies),” Alena said. “Even our grandparents were big into movies. I’d go to my grandparents’ when I was five and be like ‘OK, these are the six movies we’re going to watch.”
Now, the brother and sister duo are living that fascination in the thick of the film industry.
Both born in Brooklyn, Alena and Vincent were raised in Cortland. Vincent graduated from Cortland High School in 2005, while Alena graduated in 2009.
“I’ve been (into filmmaking) since I was two,” Vincent said. “It’s definitely in the family, but both sides of our family (goes back generations) had very idiosyncratic tastes and fascination with film.”
Vincent has written and directed films such as “Victor Goodview” (released in 2018), a short film known as “Geri and Rick,” and “Arbor Day” (currently in post-production).
Alena aided Vincent’s projects with production assistance, which included “Geri and Rick” and “Arbor Day.”
“(Alena and I) were well on our way to being a complimentary team,” Vincent said.
Alena’s biggest project she’s worked on so far, however, is currently in television. She is a production assistant for “Power Book II: Ghost,” a drama series on Starz that serves as a sequel and spin off to the original series “Power.” A member of the staff since season one, Alena noted that “Ghost” is currently in pre-production of the third season.
Alena’s work in television production stemmed from assistance with Vincent in his film projects, including “Victor Goodview.” Alena began to develop connections and opportunities through her earlier times as a production assistant.
“Vincent has always wanted to be a filmmaker so those connections sort of helped us to start building the foundation for our own project,” Alena said.
For Vincent, the film “Victor Goodview” was the “main voyage” that helped him dive into the film industry. According to IMBb, the premise of the film is described as “one man must prove he is greater than the sum of his vices while fighting a losing battle against loneliness, destitution & a nasty bout of constipation.”
“It's a serious and personal film project that I endeavored,” Vincent said. “It was definitely an exemplary example of biting off more than you can chew, especially with this one because it was a feature.”
“Geri and Rick,” a 21-minute film that Vincent and Alena worked on together, According to a summary of the film on IMDb, the film is broke down as:
“Two lost souls turn up in an old Rambler Wagon on the outskirts of New York City. No more than superficial acquaintances before, they find themselves sharing confidences, reflecting on past failures, and observing the shifting sands of their neighborhood - and the world at large. Their time together culminates in an unexpected transcendent experience that leaves them to embrace each other despite their differences.”
“Vincent had this script (for Geri and Rick). We jumped right into it,” Alena said. “We only had a couple days of shooting (for this film).”
Vincent noted that someone told him the characters are “spiritually connected,” which Vincent responded by saying “I’m totally connected to that.”
“If you’re going to watch the film, put down your phone,” Alena said. “(The film) is dialogue-heavy so it’s definitely something you really want to listen to. Figure out how it makes you feel afterwards.”
Geri and Rick “had a really creatively successful interlude,” Vincent said.
“The concept of these two unlikely characters sharing this finite space, in spite of themselves,” Vincent added. “(They) show this incredible amount of emotion, (and are) elicited by something simple like a piece of music.”
“Arbor Day,” which Vincent said he and Alena are “still working on,” took over a year to shoot due to delays that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“(COVID) definitely triggered the project because we had more time,” Alena said. “It helped in the sense of time and scheduling because no one really had plans.”
Vincent detailed “Arbor Day” as a film about “three friends who lose a fourth friend and deal with it in different ways.”
One scene in “Arbor Day,” which Alena calls the “Celebration of Life,” includes Alena and Vincent’s late friend, Blaise Dafoe. A resident of Homer, Dafoe passed away in 2019.
Dafoe plays a character named Harvey in the film. Alena mentioned Dafoe as a “good picture in the crowd.”
“He winds up becoming more instrumental in the story,” she added.
The scene Alena notes is “like a party that the friends and families have, but it’s an awkward get-together where they’re almost ignoring that they lost this person.”
“It’s interesting to see him alive in the film,” Vincent said. “It doesn’t conjure up the worst emotions. It’s a bit of a blessing that we have that (opportunity).”
Moving forward, Vincent will continue to work in the film industry, while Alena will continue to dip into the film and television industries.
Vincent and Alena noted the family tree in terms of interests in the film industry, Their cousin, Daniel, assisted with production for “Geri and Rick.”
“He’s in the film industry, but he’s more in commercial/corporations and non-union jobs,” Alena said. “He’s been with us for Geri and Rick, and anything that’s to come (in the future).”
