An English Filmmaker Comes To Peirce Street

How does an British filmmaker fresh off a shoot in Europe with Keanu Reeves end up staying with friends on Peirce Street in East Greenwich?

Rob Sorrenti is in Rhode Island for the world premiere of his short film “Hollow,” about the devastating effects of heroin addiction on a pregnant woman. He ended up on Peirce Street because of a brief encounter the last time he was in Rhode Island – four years ago when he came to premiere his very first film, “Wednesday.”

“Deb was the person who signed me in,” Sorrenti explained over iced tea at Main Street Coffee earlier this week. Deb is Deb Walsh, who lives on Peirce Street with her husband, John, and three children. She was helping out at the Rhode Island International Film Festival four years ago when they met.

When Walsh, a composer with a background in public relations, saw “Hollow,” she knew it needed to be seen by others, lots of others. One of her sons, Evan, 18, told her people wouldn’t be tempted to try heroin if they saw the film.

Sorrenti made the film because he’d felt compelled to, not because he felt it had a “market,” but he began to see how it could maybe make a difference.

“People have no idea what real addiction is,” he said.

He himself had read a story about heroin-addicted mothers and about one woman who completely transformed her life when she got pregnant. Hollow is loosely based on that story. It’s about two young addicts who decide to get clean after the woman finds out she’s pregnant. Shot with beauty and sensitivity, it remains a film about a gritty and difficult subject.

The film has already been shown in private screenings through Project Link at Women & Infants Hospital. Project Link works with pregnant women whose lives have been affected by substance abuse or mental health issues.

Sorrenti’s first short film, “Wednesday,” was a sweet story of young love. Getting the funding for that was, if not easy, do-able. For “Hollow,” on the other hand, Sorrenti ended up using 5,000 pounds (about $8,000) of his own money to pay for it.

Four years in the making, “Hollow” is debuting in Rhode Island because, Sorrenti said, “It’s quite a special little place for me.”

Locals may be surprised, but it turns out that the Rhode Island International Film Festival is “a major player on the festival circuit.” Of the 4,500 films submitted to the festival, said Sorrenti, only 165 will be shown during the festival, which runs through Sunday, Aug. 14.

“Hollow” is one of six films to be shown Thursday night at Veteran’s Auditorium during the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards Evening. Actor Paul Sorvino will be honored. Actors in the other films being shown Thursday include stars Colin Firth and Keira Knightley.

Sorrenti, who is 31 years old and lives in London, sees making short films as a step toward full-length feature films. In recent years, he's shot  behind-the-scenes films that accompany major feature films. In addition to the Reeves movie (“47 Ronin,” a 3D film due out in 2012), Sorrenti has done the behind-the-scenes filming on “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “United 93,” and “The Green Zone,” among others.

These days, when Sorrenti’s not on the festival circuit, he’s developing a feature film project for Elton John’s film production company Rocket Pictures.

Or, hanging out on a porch on Peirce Street in EG.

If you are interested in seeing "Hollow," or any of the films, they are open to the public. Click here for more information.