Congratulations are in order for General Hospital stars Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) and Carolyn Hennesy (Diane Miller), who have landed roles in upcoming short films by GH production associate Nate Hapke.
The film starring Zamprogna is titled To the Moon and Back, and it follows a grieving man who finds solace in the presence of his wife and daughter in the moments before he has to eulogize his mother. It's described as a deeply personal film about moving forward beyond a tragedy with the help of others.
Zamprogna, who will soon be returning to GH as Dante, plays Robert Westfield opposite Danielle Rayne as the character's wife Judith Westfield. Soap fans may recognize Rayne, who had a short-lived role as Alice on All My Children from 1990 until 1991 and appeared as Lisa Tjaden on an episode of Days of our Lives in 2014. Julie Romano is set to portray the couple's daughter, Freddi Westfield.
Now in the post-production phase, Hapke's To the Moon and Back was successfully funded through a Kickstarter campaign and was filmed at a community church in North Hollywood in February. The soap opera producer shared some stills from the movie on Twitter, to which Zamprogna responded, "None of us would've been there if it weren't for you man. #helluvadirector"
None of us would've been there if it weren't for you man. #helluvadirector
- Dom Zamprogna (@dom_zamprogna) February 26, 2019
Hapke, who has produced several short films that have screened in both the US and in international festivals, is also about to release another short titled She & Her. The film stars Carolyn Hennesy (Diane Miller, GH) as Poppy Sinclaire, an aging ex-actress whose world is turned upside down when young up-and-comer Mattie Morris (Mackenzie Breeden) drags her out of her self-imposed exile and convinces her to share her story of Hollywood abuse. Together with super-producer Addie Banks (Gwen Hillier), the women work through their shared traumas as they fight and forgive, ultimately taking back the narrative and shaping a future that they want to live in.
She & Her will be available soon, but fans can already watch a teaser trailer for the short, shown below.
Hapke graduated from Syracuse Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Television-Radio-Film. He joined GH as a production coordinator in 2015 and now works as a production associate on the ABC soap opera. Some of the awards he's won include Best Emerging Filmmaker at the 2014 Trinity International Film Festival in Detroit for Alvie, Best Short Film at the 2014 Syracuse University Film Festival for Shave, Best Director at the 2014 We Made it in Toronto Film Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival for Fugue, Best Writer at the 2015 We Made it in Cannes Film Competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for Ashes, Best Short Film for Thom & Gerry at the 2015 Trinity International Film Festival, Platinum Reel Award for Thom & Gerry at the 2015 Nevada International Film Festival, Festival Choice Award at the 2016 Trinity International Film Festival for Zeide, Silver Screen Award for Brunch at the 2016 Nevada International Film Festival, and the Inspiring Filmmaker Award from the 2017 Trinity International Film Festival.
This article was updated on August 12, 2019, to include the film's trailer.
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