November 19, 2009
It is an understatement to say that film director Justin
Ambrosino ‘03CPS is making the most of a second chance. With a
short film that has won 24 awards and is eligible to be
nominated at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in February 2010,
Ambrosino has accomplished much since a near death experience
almost claimed his life in 2000.
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During a semester abroad at St. Johns campus in Rome, Ambrosino was
struck and nearly killed by a car while taking a walk through the
Eternal City. Hospitalized with a fractured skull and other
life-threatening injuries, including an episode of cardiac arrest,
he used his period of convalescence to draw strength from his near
death experience and resolved to move his life in a different
direction.
“After they revived my heart, I spent a month in the hospital
recovering” recalls Ambrosino. “I thought about my life and what I
wanted to do with it.” He realized that he had all but abandoned
his artistic talents in pursuit of a career in finance. “I was very
unhappy [about] where my life was going,” he continues. “After that
accident, in the hospital, I made my decision to become a Film
Director and not look back.”
When he returned to the United States Ambrosino began to study
Cinema at St. John’s, taking production classes, participating in
the film club and making his first movie. Since then he has
continued striving toward making his dream a reality by creating
films and continually perfecting his craft, culminating in the
creation and success of his recent short film The 8th
Samurai.
Using the classic Japanese film Seven Samurai as the backdrop for
his story, Ambrosino hit on the perfect mix of drama and humor. The
short film chronicles the emotional journey of a struggling actor
named Nanshu who is cast in a lead role on an ambitious film
project that would later become one of the most famous Japanese
films of all time. He is devastatingly cut before the first day of
shooting and must overcome his own disappointment to help make
cinematic history.
Ambrosino credits the inspiration of his successful short to the
intrinsic high drama of a Hollywood set. “On a film set, everything
is life and death, but the funny thing is, in the end, we are all
just making movies,” he jokes. “There is always that mix of comedy
and tragedy. The Director can sometimes make changes on a whim and
everyone else follows. Sometimes this leads to a tragedy down the
line. When someone has an ego on set, or cares a little too much,
they set themselves up for heartbreak. It happens all the time,
everyday.”
Even with the overwhelming success of his film, Ambrosino
remains humble and attributes the films positive reception by the
cinematic community to the hard work of those who labored with him.
“My cast and crew were dedicated, passionate and each one of them
gave 100%,” he says. “Because of that I’m proud of how far The 8th
Samurai is going. It shows how hard work and talent can pay
off.”
He believes that anyone can achieve their goals with hard work and
helpful words of counsel for those interested in pursuing their
passion. “What I’m going to say is for filmmaking but I think it
can translate to any art form. Every film you make is important,
but it is not as important as your next film or the film after
that. Each film requires that you give 100%. You should live and
die for it no matter what, and find a way to express yourself
through it.”
With a film up for consideration at the Academy Awards, many would
expect Ambrosino to sit back and savor his success. But he is
already onto his next project - a full length feature romantic
comedy to be filmed in Seoul, South Korea. Ambrosino indeed follows
his own advice. “If you want to call yourself a filmmaker,” he says
“then you must make films.”