AGBO ANNOUNCES 2025 WINNER OF THE ‘RUSSO BROTHERS ITALIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKER FORUM’
“St. Joseph,” directed by Maky Rupert, has been awarded the top prize at the 8th Annual Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum fellowship program.
AGBO and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) proudly announce “St. Joseph” as the winner of the 2025 Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF).
Earlier this year, five filmmakers received $10,000 production grants to create short films exploring the Italian American experience. From this year’s exceptional works, “St. Joseph,” directed by Maky Rupert, was selected as the top prize winner and is set to receive an additional $10,000 grant, along with access to the AGBO Storytellers Collective (StoCo).
Maky Rupert’s film follows a group of estranged cousins who return to their now-empty childhood home in search of a statue of St. Joseph, which their Italian grandmother buried in the yard for good luck 30 years prior. Through this nostalgic and deeply personal journey, the film explores themes of grief, the evolving bonds of family in adulthood, and the enduring power of cultural and familial traditions. Since its inception in 2017, RBIAFF has supported emerging voices in cinema by awarding over $450,000 in grants to more than 55 talented filmmakers. This year marks a continued celebration of Italian American culture, language, and heritage through the lens of creative storytelling.
This year’s winner was chosen by a committee composed of the AGBO creative team, ISDA leadership, and a distinguished panel of judges that included AGBO Co-Founders and Partners Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, AGBO’s Chief Creative Officer Angela Russo-Otstot, COPOMIAO / ISDA President Basil Russo, and ISDA representative Patricia Russo. The program’s mission remains steadfast: to elevate authentic, compelling narratives that highlight the richness of the Italian American experience.
The AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network exclusive to those honored through AGBO’s fellowships and competitions, will provide the 2025 winner with mentorship, industry guidance, and a platform to collaborate with fellow emerging filmmakers. The Collective supports its members’ growth as artists and empowers them to realize their creative ambitions.
“Supporting emerging storytellers is central to AGBO’s mission, and RBIAFF embodies that commitment by amplifying voices that thoughtfully illuminate the Italian American experience,” said Angela Russo-Otstot. “We’re inspired by these filmmakers’ distinct perspectives, and congratulate Maky Rupert on St. Joseph, a resonant film capturing the poignancy of family, tradition, and the lasting impression they impart.”
In January 2024, AGBO presented Louis D’Esposito, Co-President of Marvel Studios, with the inaugural “Renaissance Award,” a distinguished honor to celebrate the outstanding contributions to Italian American heritage and the entertainment industry. This year, the second annual Renaissance Award was presented to Stanley Tucci, celebrating his remarkable achievements as an actor, writer, and passionate advocate for Italian culture.
Rupert will screen his winning film at a future RBIAFF event at AGBO in Downtown Los Angeles.
For more information on The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, click here.
Maky Rupert is an L.A. filmmaker originally from the New Jersey suburbs. His previous short film, PEAS, was fiscally sponsored by Film Independent and premiered at the American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival in 2024, and was distributed online by Film Shortage. He is currently developing his debut feature film, HAPPY PLATE, which was a second-round selection in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Maky has also directed, edited, and produced commercials, music videos, and documentaries for clients like Focus Features and The New York Times, and is a volunteer mentor in the Young Storytellers program. He started his career in the talent department at ICM Partners before assisting Emmy-nominated producer Gavin Polone, and is currently the development coordinator at Echo Lake Entertainment. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in film and economics.
Grant Recipient: TIRAMISU
DIRECTOR: Katerina Munis
LOCATION: CA, US
LOGLINE: Two strangers collide in the heat of a Sicilian kitchen.
️DIRECTOR’S BIO️
Katerina is an award-winning writer/director. She holds an MFA in Film & Television Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and was the Director of Productions at XR Stage, an immersive film & TV studio.
Katerina is distinguished as a 2025 Russo Brothers’ fellow, 2025 McKnight Foundation Screenwriting fellow, 2024 Academy Awards Nicholls finalist, 2025 Stowe Story Labs screenwriter, 2025 Moonshot Feature Accelerator fellow, 2024 Screencraft Screenwriting Fellow, 2024 Next List featured screenwriter, 2023 Fox production grant winner, and 2023 USC Gary Memorial Scholarship winner.
Katerina’s 2024 directorial debut DAEDALUS was the recipient of myriad “Best Director” / “Best Film” awards and was featured in AMPAV’s “Emerging Filmmaker” showcase at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Grant Recipient: PASTA PERFETTA
DIRECTOR: Adriano Valentini
LOCATION: CA, US
LOGLINE: When a lonely man’s disastrous attempt to impress social media with a picture-perfect pasta dish turns him into an overnight influencer, he must decide whether to keep feeding the illusion or rediscover what’s truly nourishing.
️DIRECTOR’S BIO️
Adriano Valentini is an Italian-Canadian-American indie filmmaker whose work explores identity, comedy, and contemporary Italian American culture. His films and series have been recognized in major festivals and competitions, blending satire with socially relevant storytelling. A proud triple passport holder, Adriano brings a unique global perspective to his work, drawing from his Italian roots, Canadian upbringing, and experiences in the U.S. film industry.
He was a Top 10 Finalist in HBO’s Project Greenlight and the winner of NBC’s Comedy Playground. His award-winning web series, Little Italy, Los Angeles, won Best Web Series at both the HollyShorts Film Festival and LA ComedyFest. He has directed comedy for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and his indie comedy series How to Do Sh!t with Guido Gagootz was a smash hit at SeriesFest, building a large, engaged online following beyond just the Italian community.
Adriano is an alumnus of the Writers Guild of Canada Diverse Writing Program and has a background in both scripted and documentary filmmaking. His short docuseries Destination: Italia, produced for Telelatino Network (TLN), explores the cultural and historical ties between Italy and North America.
A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts (BFA in Film & TV Production) and Toronto Metropolitan University’s MBA in Media Management, Adriano is committed to telling stories that reflect the modern Italian American experience. His work, often infused with humor and sharp cultural critique, seeks to challenge stereotypes and explore what it means to hold onto tradition in an ever-changing world.
Grant Recipient: LUIGI LOOKALIKE
DIRECTOR: Luke Salvatore Petronella
LOCATION: NY, US
LOGLINE: A young Italian American hijacks the persona of an alleged criminal in a desperate attempt to win his girlfriend back.
️DIRECTOR’S BIO️
Luke Petronella is a 25-year-old Sicilian-American filmmaker with a passion for community service and activism. Currently, he is working to help solve food insecurity in the United States. For the past 6 years, Luke has supported Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a nonprofit organization, and is now its full-time Content Manager & Brand Ambassador.
This work allows him to create short documentary films about the people of NYC who volunteer their time to redistribute excess food from restaurants, bakeries, and catering companies to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries. He grew up on Long Island and graduated from Brooklyn College in 2022. It is because of his experience helping his community that Luke finally found his true passion: supporting his neighbors through documentary filmmaking.
Grant Recipient: FORGOTTEN FLAVORS
DIRECTOR: Michael Mastronardi
LOCATION: CA, US
LOGLINE: Armed with his camera, a filmmaker sets out to recreate his late grandmother’s lost recipes through family stories and fading memories—uncovering as much about himself as the woman who inspired him.
️DIRECTOR’S BIO️
Michael is an award-winning filmmaker based in Southern California. He has spent his career seeking truth in storytelling in both doc and narrative work. His strong voice and vision helps craft introspective pieces that provoke thought and expose the artist’s internal struggles.
ABOUT AGBO
Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio dedicated to shaping the future of storytelling across film, TV, and interactive media. Known for record-breaking success, AGBO has delivered 15 global #1 openings and, helmed by the Russo Brothers, has generated over $7 billion at the box office, including Marvel’s highest-grossing film, Avengers: Endgame. Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while The Gray Man and Extraction rank among Netflix’s most-watched films of all time.
AGBO’s Citadel universe has expanded globally, with Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny becoming top Prime Video originals and Citadel Season 2 is now in post-production. The studio recently released The Electric State for Netflix, which premiered as the #1 film on the platform; wrapped The Bluff for Amazon MGM; is in post-production on The Whisper Man for Netflix; and continues production on the Extraction series and Mercenary.
In addition, AGBO has Rambo in pre-production, while the studio is also producing Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) with Marvel, with the Russo Brothers set to direct.
Formed in NYC in 1975, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) — a national coalition of 74 cultural, educational, fraternal, and anti-defamation groups — seeks to promote our history and traditions for today’s generations, and tomorrow’s.
