Hollywood Ventures Group — the film production outfit and consultancy co-founded by former Amazon MGM Studios executive Glenn S. Gainor and industry veteran Sandy Climan — has boarded the documentary short “Green Lava,” the first Vatican-produced film to be submitted to the Oscars.
Gainor, Climan, Nelly Kim and Nabeel Laher are joining John Shufeldt MD as executive producers on the 39-minute “Green Lava” film, which is directed by Lia Beltrami and Ali Aksu. The inspirational documentary short — produced in collaboration with the Vatican and set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Dolomites — follows Giacomo Mattivi, a young Italian man living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, “as he faces life without his brother Mattia who has just succumbed to Duchenne,” according to the film’s synopsis. “Defying societal expectations, Giacomo challenges the limitations imposed by his condition and finds strength in his community and in the natural world that surrounds him.”
That said, the film will not specifically represent the Vatican in the race. Unlike the international feature film category, short films do not need an official submission or endorsement from a national government or a country-specific committee.
Giacomo Mattivi in “Green Lava.”
Courtesy 49GlobalMedia
“I believe this valuable collaboration with Hollywood Ventures Group will help ‘widen the tent,’ making Giacomo’s message accessible to the world,” said the film’s co-director and producer Beltrami, using a biblical expression. She noted that “Green Lava” is “about walking together, living in community, and embracing authenticity” and called it “a hymn to life and an invitation to live every moment to the fullest.”
“Green Lava” completed its Oscar-qualifying theatrical run by screening between Sept. 18-24 at the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills.
HVG will serve “as a strategic producing partner, leveraging our global network to elevate the film’s visibility, expand its reach, and explore potential distribution opportunities,” according to a company rep.
