from New Canaan News
New Canaan grads team up on film project
Martin B. Cassidy
Nicola Scandiffio, left, is the producer, and Abigail Schwarz, the writer and director of “Those Who Wander” a dark comedy about a college spring break road trip. Scandiffio and Schwarz, both graduates of New Canaan High School, are seen here at a recent screening of the film in Ridgefield. Photo: Contributed Photo
Sometime in 2011, at the suggestion of mutual acquaintances, New Canaan High School graduate Abigail Schwarz met up after her first year at New York Film Academy with another New Canaan grad, Nicola Scandiffio. Both, it seemed, shared a passion for movies and the film industry.
The two hit it off and ended up working together on a project, and the result was “Those Who Wander,” a coming-of-age film involving a spring break road trip. It was written and directed by Schwarz and produced by Scandiffio.
The duo recently premiered the film, which was shot mostly in New Canaan and other Fairfield County towns, at the Ridgefield Playhouse. The house was packed heavily with local financial backers, both small and large, including best selling novelist James Frey, Schwarz said. Altogether, more than 400 people backed the film with online contributions, with another $130,000 being kicked in by others, including Frey, Schwarz said.
“Almost all of our investors were local within the Fairfield County area, so that was something that was really important to us,” Schwarz said of the screening. “It was a night to show the film and say thank you for making it a reality.”
Frey got behind the project in 2013, after reading about the fledgling filmmaker’s efforts in a local news story publicizing their fundraising efforts, Schwarz said.
“Most of the people who came aboard this project actually found us,” Schwarz said. “James found us through local press, and he’s from New Canaan. He called and ask me for the script, read it, and decided he liked it and gave us a substantial investment. We’re very fortunate.”