User:Sean Cisterna/sandbox

Sean Cisterna is a multi award-winning Canadian filmmaker. He was born in Toronto, Ontario and is a graduate of York University’s Film and Video program. His career began at PBS Kids, Corus Entertainment and TLN Television.

In 2015, Cisterna directed Full Out, starring Jennifer Beals and Ana Golja, a feature film based on the true story of gymnast Ariana Berlin. The film is available for streaming on Netflix worldwide. It was first broadcast on NBC, and later on over 200 stations across the United States leading into the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Cisterna directed and produced Kiss and Cry in 2017, a romantic drama based on the story of Carley Allison, a promising 18 year old figure skater and singer who made medical history in her fight against a rare 1 in 3.5 billion type of sarcoma. Kiss and Cry topped the English-Canadian box office upon its release, and is streaming on Netflix worldwide.

Cisterna most recently directed From the Vine, an international coproduction centered around the world of Italian wine, starring Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano, Wendy Crewson and Cinema Paradiso's Marco Leonardi. From the Vine was the first feature film to shoot in Acerenza, Italy, and, in the spirit of Italian Neorealism, it featured many of the local inhabitants in small roles despite them not having any acting experience. The film won the Best Film Coproduction award at the 2019 Italian Contemporary Film Festival, as well as acting awards for Joe Pantoliano at Ischia Global Film Festival and Giornate del Cinema Lucano in July 2019.

In 2017, Cisterna was honoured with a Canada 150 Award presented by the Federal Government of Canada, for "Thought Leadership" through his dedication to and community engagement in the arts.

Cisterna currently resides in Richmond Hill, Ontario.