Mantra
Winner: Best Feature Film at The Grove Film Festival - Jersey City, NJ
Nominated: Best Actor: Charles Marinaro at The Grove Film Festival - Jersey City, NJ
Year: 2023
Directed & Written: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Theresa Teresi
Director of Photography: Doug Williams
Sound: Cathleen Jorge
Starring: Azucena Martinez, Stefan Baumann, Andrew Matthews, Cassie Teresi, Pedro Tweed, Michael Ferraro, Sunny Edleman, and Keith Prince.
Drama/Sci-Fi/Suspense
Time: 1 Hour and 20 Mins
Synopsis: After the crew of the Savior is lost in space the Mantra becomes it's only hope to finishing its top secret mission. As the mission holds the keys to immortality, powerful people will stop at nothing to keep this discovery from hitting the public. The only option is to move forward into the unknown. The crew of the Mantra don't only find what they are looking for but are open to an entire universe of possibilities. Getting the information back to Earth will be even more challenging as the planet has its own dangers lurking all around it and the crew begins to quickly descend into madness.
Labor of Love
Year 2023
Directed/Edited/Produced: Charles Marinaro
Documentary
Time: 43 Mins
Synopsis: In-depth look behind the scenes of making an independent film on a micro-budget with an ambitious script. This film has personal accounts from the cast and crew throughout the pre-production, production, and post for Mantra. It is a documentary focusing on the unique and impactful moments productions can have on all involved.
Love Lock
Year 2022
Directed & Written: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Josephine Moon Bloomfield
Director of Photography: Nick Turco
Sound: Cathleen Jorge
Starring: Heather Blanco, Pedro Tweed, Andrew Matthews, and Jeanine Destio
Romantic Comedy
Time: 21 Mins
Synopsis: Ken wakes up confused in a graveyard unsure of the World around him while the love of his life Suzy attempts to make him remember by attending an unforgettable dinner. Every moment at dinner helps him remember the life he had, his regrets, the promises he made, and the promises he broke.
Oath to Injustice
Winner: Best Actor - Charles Marinaro: Northeast Film Festival
Nominated: Best Screenplay: Northeast Film Festival
Year 2021
Directed & Written: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Charles Martin III
Director of Photography: Stefan Baumann
Sound: Cathleen Jorge
Starring: Ben Brown, Andrew Matthews, Pedro Tweed, Mike Marz, Charles Marinaro, Helen Rivera, Roseann Sureda, Tina Ramos, and Lisa Marie Brevogal.
Crime Drama
Time: 1 Hour and 20 Mins
Synopsis: Two detectives at odds work tirelessly to catch a serial killer while getting lost in the process.
Crush
Year 2020
Directed & Written: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Alexis Kearns
Director of Photography: Chris Van Houten
Sound: Sean Murray
Starring: Cassie Teresi, Anthony Gagliardo, Jeanine Destio, and Ty Hayes.
Romantic Drama/Experimental
Time: 5 Min and 7 Sec
Synopsis: A man is held back by the memories of a previous romance as he attempts to pursue something new.
Exit to Disarray
Year 2020
Written & Directed: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Alexis Kearns
Director of Photography: Sean Malory
Sound: David Bishop
Starring: Daniel Marinaro, John Kokolus, Marissa Marinaro, and Alexis Kearns.
Crime Drama
Time: 14 Mins and 40 Secs
Synopsis: Brother against brother in this intense showdown with each other’s names on the hit list. Only one can get the job done but at what cost?
A Line Between All Things
Winner: Best Picture: Audience Choice at The Hoboken International Film Festival, Middletown, NY
Nominated: Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Gagliardo at The Hoboken International Film Festival, Middletown, NY
Year 2019
Written & Directed: Charles Marinaro
Executive Producer: Josephine Moon Bloomfield
Director of Photography: Nick Turco
Sound: Sean Murray
Starring: Sean Murray, Sara Harman, Anthony Gagliardo, Mike Sutton, Jeanine Destio, Ben Brown, and Stewart Thomas.
Drama/Sci-Fi
Time: 1 Hour and 38 Mins
Synopsis: The old world is gone. The only remnants are the shadows that humanity had once been. Joel, a survivor, fights to stay alive in this post-apocalyptic existence as a parallel belief conflicts and blurs the lines of reality.
A Modern Myth
Nominated: Best Pilot - Hoboken International Film Festival, Middletown, NY
Year 2017
Directed: Charles Marinaro
Written: Charles Marinaro & Chris Gomez
Executive Producer: Josephine Moon Bloomfield
Director of Photography: Simon Fridlich
Sound: Jesse Fridlich
Starring: Stewart Thomas, Charles Marinaro, Chris Gomez, and Nick Turco
Thriller/Horror
Time: 5 Min and 22 Secs
Synopsis: After a series of unfortunate events, Ishmael and Casper, two scientists turned fugitives are desperately looking for a way to clear their names. In their desperate search for the truth, the line between reality and madness begins to blur, as paranoia, depression, and hatred chisel away at men's souls.
Irony of Catharsis
Nominated: Best Actress - Janel Tanna - The Grove Film Festival, Jersey City, NJ
Year 2016
Directed: Charles Marinaro
Written: Charles Marinaro & Chris Gomez
Executive Producer: Josh Cole
Director of Photography: Simon Fridlich
Sound: Jesse Fridlich
Starring: Janel Tanna, Dan Sheynin, Mark Lyons, Mike Sutton, James Zeiss, Arno Austin, Azucena Martinez, Tyreek Walrond, and Bruce Gluckman.
Romantic Comedy/Drama
Time: 1 Hour and 50 Mins
Synopsis: David is a simple business man who is left in a not so simple situation after the death of a loved one. Amongst the chaos of shady business partners and would be in-laws, David finds himself reluctantly drawn to a wild, and unpredictable woman named Roxxi.
Savior
Winner: Best Picture - Mount Vernon Film Festival, Mount Vernon, NY
Winner: Best Supporting Actor - Charles Marinaro: Mount Vernon Film Festival
Winner: Best Crime Film: Action & Adventure Park Film Festival
Nominated: Best Actor - Greg Genute: Mount Vernon Film Festival
Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Janel Tanna: Mount Vernon Film Festival
Nominated: Best Screenplay: Mount Vernon Film Festival
Nominated: Audience Choice Best Picture - Hoboken International Film Festival
Year 2015
Directed: Charles Marinaro
Written: Charles Marinaro & Chris Gomez
Executive Producer: Josh Cole
Director of Photography: Simon Fridlich
Sound: Jesse Fridlich
Starring: Greg Genute, Melanie Raven, Mike Sutton, Arno Austin, Sean Murray, Valerie Henry, Marci Hopkins, Andrew Matthews, and James Zeiss.
Crime Drama
Time: 2 Hours and 6 Mins
Synopsis: The story follows a troubled homeless young man in his journey into the crime world. The man struggles to become relevant as a petty criminal and is forced to become ruthless. The crime world is survival of the fittest, so the man must cheat the game and reset the rules. As this man rises to power, old family demons resurface, causing a domino effect of chaos and tragedy. Anyone associated, involved with the man on any level is in jeopardy, for the law and the streets are at odds.
The Factory
Nominated: Audience Choice: Best of Festival - Hoboken International Film Festival, Middletown, NY.
Year 2014
Directed: Charles Marinaro
Written: Charles Marinaro & Chris Gomez
Executive Producer: Josephine Moon Bloomfield
Director of Photography: Simon Fridlich
Sound: Nick Turco & Ty Santiago
Starring: Anthony Tether, Mike Sutton, Sean Murray, James Zeiss, Bruce Gluckman, Marci Hopkins, Anthony Gagliardo, and Charles Marinaro.
Sci-Fi/Suspense/Thriller
Time: 2 Hours
Synopsis: The Factory is a state of the art medical facility where hypnosis is the key use of therapy. The patients in The Factory are able to live out their wildest dreams, giving them a second chance at achieving true happiness. The cruel world is quickly forgotten as patients experience perfection in a peaceful society. Poverty, disease, greed, and judgment are non-existent. The movie follows Jayden, an underachieving drug addict, who unexpectedly becomes a patient at The Factory, leaving behind his terminally ill son and his crumbling marriage. Jayden struggles with his regrets from life outside The Factory, while hesitant to accept the strange new customs and way of life he is pressured to agree with. Throughout Jayden's journey, he realizes this "perfect" world isn't what it seems. After witnessing several unfortunate instances around him, Jayden understands that the freedom of choice is no longer an option. What seemed to be hypnosis as a therapeutic release, is now discovered to have been pure brainwashing the entire time. Families will be torn apart as orders are executed in a heartless manner. Dreams become nightmares, as seemingly good people transform into sociopaths. Lies, hypnosis, and memories taunt Jayden to the point where reality and fantasy become challenging for Jayden to differentiate. Everything spirals out of control as Jayden presses for answers and an escape back to the outside world. In the epic conclusion, Jayden's quest for the truth will be unraveled, while The Factory's' shocking intentions are revealed.