Tribeca Film Festival Screens Sparkling Pointe-Produced "Almost Paris"

Southold vineyard Sparkling Pointe has become tied to a highly anticipated film debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival at the end of the month.

Almost Paris, written and starring New Jersey native Wally Marzano-Lesnevich, has Sparkling Pointe owners Cynthia and Tom Rosicki as the sole executive producers. The script was passed to them by actor and Sparkling Pointe tasting room employee Michael Sorvino, son of actor Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas, Dick Tracey) and longtime friend to Marzano-Lesnevich.  Sorvino also appears in the film, starring alongside Marzano-Lesnevich and actress Abigail Hawk (Blue Bloods, Across the Universe).

Directed by Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, daughter of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the film centers on a banker in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis. He returns home after losing his job, facing his family and childhood friends, discovering the weight of his actions and learning to give back to the people closest to him.

The Rosickis moved production of the film location from New Jersey to the Rosickis’ hometown of Oyster Bay, Long Island. Locals and familiars of the Oyster Bay area will recognize scenes shot in Rothmann’s Steakhouse or G Willikers Toys in Locust Valley.

Employees of the vineyard were also able to play small roles or extras in the film, including Southold resident Kelsey Cheslock. Cheslock, Sparkling Pointe’s marketing and social media coordinator, has also become a “pseudo-press person” in what she calls a “whirlwind” leading up to the film’s premiere. Cheslock appears in one scene as Mrs. Nichols, a one half of a young married couple denied a mortgage loan by the film’s hero, Max.

“I studied theater in college and do community theater, but this is my first film,” says Cheslock. “I got to throw a fit onscreen, which was fun!” Cheslock recently appeared in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the North Fork Community Theatre. She’s also appeared in NFCT’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Camelot.

Almost Paris has gained a considerable amount of attention, its Tribeca premiere selling out within five minutes of its announcement.

If you’re in the city, see Almost Paris on April 24 at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea, 260 W 23rd St. East Enders will be happy hear that Sparkling Pointe will host a screening of the film at the vineyard near the end of June. More details will be released in the near future on Sparkling Pointe’s Facebook and Twitter pages.