Geretta, Geretta

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biography of Geretta, Gerett

5' 8"
Geretta/Geretta, a multi-faceted woman, has worked spanning the globe, from Northern Ireland to South Africa, from Rome to New York City as a Writer/Director and Actress: Born and grew up in Portland, Oregon, Geretta became interested in acting during her school years. Although recently relocated to Los Angeles, she began her career as an actress in New York's "off-off Broadway" theater scene at Theatre For The New City and the improv comedy group Rusty Nails before she traveled to Italy where she lived for over 10 years, making a full-time acting career, appearing in over 20 feature films, including _Smithereens (1982)_ (qv), _Rats - Notte di terrore (1984)_ (qv) and _Dèmoni (1985)_ (qv), directed by 'Lamberto Bava' (qv) and produced by horror legend 'Dario Argento' (qv), who is the father of 'Asia Argento' (qv) before graduating from The American Film Institute MFA Screenwritng Program. Her work in front of the camera sparked her desire to go behind it, to make the movies instead of being in them. Geretta relocated to Los Angeles, where she graduated AFI. During this time she wrote and directed a number of shorts such as "When Fish Fly" and "Love To Share", as well as making Public Service Announcements for California water conservation and spots on spec for Levis. After being impressed by the films coming out of Ireland like _Circle of Friends (1995)_ (qv), _Waking Ned (1998)_ (qv) and _The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)_ (qv), Geretta moved to Ireland in the early 1990s. Originally planning to stay in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for three weeks, her love of their culture and arts movement led her to stay for two years, first interning for six months with the award-winning film collective Northern Visions, where she taught a number of cross-community writing seminars for first-time and professional writers from both the Protestant and Catholic communities. During her years in Belfast, Geretta was the recipient of a number of film grants, including a Northern Ireland Film Council Study Grant (the first American to receive one). She was also the first American to receive a grant to attend University College Dublin's Writing the Screenplay where she completed the screenplay for her feature-length film _Sweetiecakes (2001)_ (qv). Geretta worked as a television producer for Ulster Television, appearing on camera with her segment series "Geretta Geretta Looks At . . . " Belfast's first experiment in lite news and later directed the short film "Homesick", produced with generous materials grants from the BBC. Geretta Geretta has built on her experiences of having lived within different cultures. Her fluency in Italian, which she learned to speak during her years living in Italy, was vital to writing, directing and producing "100 Voices Against Apartheid" a collection of one hundred filmed anti-segregation testimonials from Odessa, 'Billy Bragg (I)' (qv), 'Miriam Makeba' (qv), 'Roberto Benigni' (qv), Run DMC, Public Enemy and many more for the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid and UNICEF. Geretta premiered "Homesick" at the Tribeca Film Center and shortly thereafter produced staged readings of "Sweetiecakes"' across Manhattan to raise the initial budget. Once Swiss producers picked up the project, Geretta adapted the screenplay into German, rewriting the story to take place in Winterthur, "Switzerland's biggest little city". The film was shot and completed in Switzerland in the summer of 2001, and won for Best Female Director-Melbourne Underground Festival-2002 and was her first feature film. Her film _Whitepaddy (2006)_ (qv) is currently in production. When not residing in Hollywood, Geretta can be found on a small island outside of Portland, Oregon near where she grew up, while polish her new sexy comedy: 'The Art Of Spooning.'
A. Nonymous

- Graduate of The American Film Institute Masters Program in Screenwriting.

- Graduate of The American Film Institute Masters Program in Screenwriting.

- Winner Best Female Director Melbourne Underground Film Festival

- Midnight Moon At The Greasy Spoon

- "Chicago Sun-Times" (USA), 30 January 2005, by: Roger Ebert, "Photos 6: Sundance 2005"

- "Berliner Morgenpost" (Germany), 2 May 2002, by: Ulrike Borowczyk, "Kuchen, Jazz und Todeselle (Cakes Jazz and Death)"

- "Werbe Woche" (Switzerland), 13 July 2000, Iss. Nr. 27, by: Beat Fritsch, "Shortlist"

- "Belfast Telegraph" (Northern Ireland, UK), June 1997, by: Karen Ireland, "Me & Mine"

- "Womens News" (Northern Ireland, UK), 1996, Iss. 79-96, pg. 23, by: Luanne Martin, "Womens Words"

- "The Dark Side" (UK), August 2005, Iss. 116, pg. 44-48, by: Jay Slater, "Demon Lady"

- "Chicago Sun Times" (USA), February 2005, by: Rogerebert.suntimes.com, "Sundance, Photos 6, Sundance 2005"

- "Fab Press" (UK), September 2004, Vol. Fab Press 2004, Iss. 1, pg. 147 - 152, by: Jones, Alan, "Profondo Argento"

- "Der Lanbote" (Switzerland), 19 October 2000, by: Elisabeth Antoneli, "Vier Betten und ein Happy End"

- "Sonntags Blick" (Switzerland), 18 June 2000, Iss. 25, pg. 21, by: Corinne Bünzli, "Im Bett mit Stéphanie"

- "Winterthur Woche" (Switzerland), 8 June 2000, by: Réne Donzé, "Hauptrollen für Stéphanie Berger und Urs Althaus"

- "Winterthur Woche" (Switzerland), 13 April 2000, by: René Donzé, "Geretta Looks at WInterthur"

- "New York Times" (USA), 27 April 1981, by: Mel Gussow, "Theater: Pinero's Midnight Spoon"

- "Vogue" (USA), March 1999, pg. 253-260, by: Kristine Zimbalist, "View, Shooting Stars"