'Karaoke King' by Federica Gianni '17 Finalist for SFFILM's Spring 2020 Rainin Grant

Karaoke King, a feature project written and directed by alumna Federica Gianni '17, is a finalist for SFFILM's Spring 2020 Rainin Grant. She is one of twelve filmmakers who have been shortlisted to receive funding for their projects in various stages of production, from screenwriting to post-production. Gianni’s project is in the screenwriting stage and can therefore hope for funding ranging between $10,000 and $25,000.

Karaoke King follows a gay teenager and his ultraconservative brother who are sent to live in the margins of Rome after an earthquake destroys their village. Alone and in a big city, the brothers are forced to confront the different men they are becoming as they search to find love and work, and breathe new life in the crumbling infrastructures around them.

Federica Gianni is an Italian screenwriter and director. Her two short films Primo (2017) and The Friend from Tel Aviv (2015) have shown in international film festivals including Palm Springs International ShortFest, Cinemed, Frameline, Outfest, and have received awards from the Director's Guild of America, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, IFP and Vimeo (nominated Staff Pick Best Short of the Year 2018). She is currently in development for her first feature film Karaoke King, selected for the Torino Film Lab Extended, the 2019 IFP Film Week, the Oxbelly Screenwriters & Directors Lab in Greece and is a fellow of the Queer|Art|Mentorship program. Gianni has taught Film at Columbia University, and NHSI at Northwestern University.

SFFILM Rainin Grant program is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the US, and supports films that address social justice issues — the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges — in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme, or setting. Awards are made to multiple projects twice a year, in the spring and fall, for screenwriting, development, and post-production. In addition to a cash grant of up to $50,000, recipients are offered a two-month residency at FilmHouse and benefit from SFFILM’s comprehensive and dynamic artist development programs. The program is open to filmmakers from anywhere in the world who can commit to spending time developing the film in San Francisco.