‘Tarantella’ dances its way to big screen

‘Tarantella’ dances its way to big screen

Sorvino attracted to UCLA film students’ emotional script

By Dina Gachman

Daily Bruin Contributor

Richard Hoblock’s screenplay for "Tarantella" did not capture
the imagination of actors and producers by having a big budget or
its studio backing. It lured them by affecting their emotions.

"It attracted people like Mira Sorvino, who’s up for an Academy
Award (for "Mighty Aphrodite")," says Hoblock, whose film opens at
the Nuart this Friday. "She had, like, 12 Italian-American women
scripts and she wanted to do this for almost no money because it
made her cry."

"Tarantella" producer Laura Gabbert identifies with Sorvino’s
reaction to the story.

"I was sitting in a cafe," she says, "and I read the script and
started to cry. You just don’t come across scripts like that very
often."

Sorvino captured Hoblock’s attention with more than her talent.
She told the writer about an idea of her own for the script, which
was inspired by her own childhood. Hoblock loved the suggestion,
and Sorvino’s story became part of the film.

"Mira gave that to the script," says Hoblock, "so she kind of
had a special place in my heart."

Hoblock and Gabbert, both graduate students in UCLA’s film
school, paired up to create "Tarantella," an almost surreal story
which traces the emotional life of a young woman (Sorvino) as she
uncovers the secrets of her family’s past.

Hoblock, a second-year student in UCLA’s screenwriting program,
brought his long-time friend Gabbot on board during pre-production.
This is their first full-length feature, but both filmmakers have
worked independently in their respective fields. Hoblock wrote and
directed several plays "off-off Broadway" in New York, and lived
all over the U.S. He settled in Minneapolis before applying to film
school. After his first year at UCLA, Hoblock convinced Gabbot, who
had freelanced in the Bay Area as a film editor, to enter the
producer’s program. They believe that UCLA gives them the
inspiration and drive that was absent in earlier projects.

"I was going back and forth and floundering," says Hoblock. "I
had no sense of community. I wanted to go here, and it’s great
because you have a built in community."

Gabbert, who entered UCLA this year, shares her partner’s
enthusiasm.

"People are very generous and there’s a real collaborative
spirit," she says. "There is also some synergy, especially between
screenwriting and producing. That’s what it’s all about, is
building those relationships."

The filmmakers also found this sense of collaboration on the
set. Working on their first movie was time-consuming and
exhausting. Still, the pressure did not frustrate them. They admit
there were the inevitable problems that come with making a
low-budget film, such as a few lost tempers and financial
compromises, but overall it was a positive experience.

"I think for the most part we were after the same goal," says
Gabbert. "I knew it was a tiny budget, but I was just excited about
it. I wanted to be a part of it."

The hard work also paid off for Hoblock.

"I thought it would be a real challenge to try and make
something of this (idea)," he says. "So I said, ‘OK, we’ll work
with this and try and incorporate it into a script,’ which is
ass-backwards for doing anything. But it was a real challenge."

Mira Sorvino (standing) in "Tarantella"

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