Voice From The Stone

At the gates of an isolated stone castle in 1950’s Tuscany, a determined young nurse arrives to cure the mute heir within. As Verena (Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys) struggles to bring silent Jakob back into the world, she finds herself submerged deeper and deeper into the hidden secrets of the castle.

The story develops as a haunting and suspenseful thriller harkening to classics like Hitchcock’s Rebecca.

Creators of Voice From The Stone

VOICE FROM THE STONE is a haunting tale of fear, mystery and romance that plays out amid the ghosts of memory. The film is the feature film directorial debut of Eric D. Howell from a screenplay by Andrew Shaw based on the Italian novel La Voce Della Pietra by Silvio Raffo. Shot on location in a misted, alternate vision of Tuscany, the international cast includes Emilia Clarke, Marton Csokas, Edward Dring, Caterina Murino, Lisa Gastoni and Remo Girone. The producers are Dean Zanuck and Stefano Gallini-Durante.

EMILIA CLARKE

Emilia Clarke (Verena) has earned audience acclaim for her pivotal performances and intriguing beauty. A native of the Berkshire countryside, Clarke graduated from the Drama Centre of London before beginning her career with a guest leading role in the BBC series Doctors. In 2013, she received the Television Emmy Critics Association and Award nominations for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen or the “Mother of Dragons” on HBO’s hit fantasy series Games of Thrones.

Most recently, Clarke co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke and Jai Courtney in Alan Taylor’s Terminator Genisys, a reboot of the popular franchise. Clarke reprises her role as Daenerys in the upcoming season six of Game of Thrones and will be starring with Sam Claflin in Me Before You, the adaptation of the Jojo Moyes best-selling novel, which is set for a June 3rd release.

MARTON CSOKAS

Marton Csokas (Klaus), most famously known for his role as Lord Celeborn in Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, has displayed versatile talent in an array of captivating performances. Graduating with a Bachelors of Arts from the New Zealand Drama School, Csokas went on to appear in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and as the psychiatrist “Dr. Kafka” in the hit movie sequel The Amazing Spiderman alongside Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Fox.

In addition to his extensive film work, Csokas has shone internationally onstage in roles such as Orsino in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the National Theatre of Great Britain, Brutus in Julius Caesar in his native New Zealand and George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe at the Schaubuhne Theatre in Berlin. He also starred in a production of Little Foxes at The New York Theatre Workshop directed by Ivo van Hove and heralded by Time Magazine as one of their “Top 10 of Everything 2010”. Csokas will be starring in the upcoming film True Crime alongside Jim Carrey and Burn Your Maps with Vera Farmiglia as well as Loving with Joel Edgerton.

CATERINA MURINO

Caterina Murino (Malvina), originally from Sardinia, began her career as a model but quickly segued into acting. Murino’s training at the Francesca de Sapio school of theatre and cinema along with her command of Italian, English and Spanish, provided her a platform from which to rapidly take on roles in international cinema. In 2002, Murino made her small screen debut in the series Don Matteo and soon landed a role alongside Christian Clavier which engaged her in the mad adventure of Bronzes 3: Amis Pour La Vie directed by Patrice Leconte.

Murino’s career took a decisive turn when she was cast in the coveted role of Bond Girl Solange Dimitrios who is seduced by Agent 007 (Daniel Craig) in Casino Royale. Since then she has also appeared in Taxi Brooklyn and is starring in the upcoming films L’appart and Fever.

REMO GIRONE

Remo Girone (Alessio) was born in 1948 in Asmara, Eritrea, and moved to Rome at age 23. Fascinated by the records and poetry of Foa and Albertazzi, he enrolled in the renowned Accademia Nazionale d’Arte Drammatica Silvio D’amico. Girone’s big screen appearance in Roma Rivuole Cesare, directed by Miklos Jansco, led to his first leading role in Il Gabbiano directed by Bellocchio in 1977. Over the years he has appeared in many other important Italian and international productions including Il Viaggio di Capitan Fracassa (Scola, 1990), L’Angelo Con La Pistola (Damiani, 1992) and Heaven (Tykwer, 2002).

Girone’s most memorable television roles were that of Tano Cariddi in La Piovra as well as the recently aired PioXII. Known for his deep voice, Girone has won several awards for his screen and theatre work, including an award at the Edinburgh Festival for his performance in Uncle Vanya and the Italian Critics’ Award at the Berlin Festival for Heaven.

EDWARD DRING

Edward Dring (Jakob) was born in Genoa, Italy, in 2005 from British and Italian parentage. He began performing at the local theatre group at age seven and got his first break in 2013 when he was chosen for the role of Luke in the short film Nella Tasca Del Cappotto. The film, directed by Marco Di Gerlando, earned Dring awards for Best Actor at the San Diego International Kids’ Film Festival, the Versi di Luce International Film Festival in Modica and the XV Corto Piero Vivarelli Film Festival in Rome.

LISA GASTONI

Lisa Gastoni (Lilia) first started out in English cinema in the 1950s, playing exotic beauties in supporting roles (Il prigioniero dell’ Harem, Quattro in medicina), as well as acting in many theatrical productions. In 1979, she retired from acting to dedicate her life to painting and writing. She returned to the screen in 2005 with a role in the film Sacred Heart, for which she received a David Donatello Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

ERIC D. HOWELL

Eric D. Howell (Director) is an international award winning writer and director with experience in every aspect of motion picture production. After working his way through technical filmmaking, he joined the Screen Actors Guild in 1992 as a stuntman and actor.  This experience propelled him into stunt coordination and 2nd unit directing. Feature credits include North Country, Joe Somebody, A Simple Plan and A Serious Man, among others.

Howell was dubbed by Shoot! Magazine “as one of the industry’s crop of new directors to watch” and won the Fade In Magazine 2012 Grand Prize. His short, Ana’s Playground, won top honors at twenty international film festivals and was short listed for an Academy Award® nomination. 

He is represented by by M. Sugar and J. Okin at Anonymous Content.

DEAN ZANUCK

Dean Zanuck (Producer) represents the third generation of one of Hollywood’s most illustrious film families. His grandfather was the legendary Darryl F. Zanuck, co-founder and chairman of 20th Century Fox and his father was the Oscar winning producer Richard D. Zanuck. Dean Zanuck’s first producing effort was Road to Perdition, directed by Oscar® winner Sam Mendes, starring Oscar® winners Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Oscar® nominee Jude Law. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards®, winning one.

A native of California, Zanuck grew up in Los Angeles and attended Harvard High School. Following graduation from the University of Colorado where he majored in History, he learned every aspect of production working in various capacities on the films Clean Slate, Wild Bill and Mulholland Falls. He later became assistant to Oscar® winning producer Brian Grazer during the production of Apollo 13. Dean joined the The Zanuck Company in 1995 as Vice-President of Development.

At The Zanuck Company, he oversaw production on the blockbusters Deep Impact, Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also served as a production executive on the critically acclaimed films True Crime, starring and directed by Oscar® winner Clint Eastwood, Rules of Engagement starring Oscar® winner Tommy Lee Jones and Oscar® nominee Samuel L. Jackson, Big Fish starring Ewan McGregor and Sweeney Todd starring Oscar nominee Johnny Depp.

In 2009, he formed Zanuck Independent, a production company focused on producing high quality independent films. The company’s first release was Get Low, directed by Oscar® winner Aaron Schneider, starring Oscar® winners Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Oscar nominee Bill Murray. Get Low was Sony Pictures Classics highest grossing film of 2010 and won the coveted Independent Spirit Award.

In 2012, Zanuck produced The Zero Theorem, directed by Oscar® nominee Terry Gilliam and starring Oscar® winners Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton.

STEFANO GALLINI-DURANTE

Stefano Gallini-Durante (Producer) was born in Italy and moved to London after earning a Doctorate in Economics at the Genoa University. He subsequently moved to New York to pursue investment banking, and then moved on to Los Angeles to pursue a new career in the film industry. In Hollywood Gallini-Durante worked for New Line Cinema in their TV development department. During this time he wrote three screenplays, one of which, Caruso – The King Of Tenors, was optioned by Warner Brothers in 2000.

Gallini-Durante went on to produce two independent feature films, Aaron Gillespie Will Make You A Star (aka Star Struck) and The Killing Club, both of which were selected into competition at several international film festivals. In 2009 he formed Code 39 Films and developed a partnership with Zanuck Independent. The next year Code 39 films produced the award winning commercial for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing SLS AMG as well as web-films for Cartier and Hugo Boss.

In 2012 Gallini-Durante executive produced an independent feature with Ryan Gosling titled White Shadow which filmed in Tanzania. The film won the “Lion of the Future Award” at the Venice International Film Festival in September, 2013, and was in competition at Sundance 2014. White Shadow won several awards at top international film festivals and was released in 12 countries.

In 2013 Gallini-Durante went on to produce a feature documentary shot in Cuba called En La Caliente and entered into film production deals with 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. His first TV production deal with Lionsgate is a series called Kingdom of the Sun, written by David Franzoni (Gladiator, Amistad, King Arthur) and set to star Zoe Saldana.

MARCO VALERIO PUGINI

Marco Valerio Pugini (Co-Producer) has been involved in cinema since 1981. He began his freelance career as a production assistant on The Monsignoris for 20th Century Fox and worked on over 20 international feature films including Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (unit production manager), Jerry London’s Rent A Cop (unit production manager) and Bruce Beresford’s King David (location manager). He is the President of the Audio-visual Sector of Federlazio as well as the Vice President of the Italian Association of Production Service Companies (A.P.E.), which he founded and led for a decade.

In 1997 Pugini established Panorama Films combining two of his former companies. As the President of Panorama Films, he has participated in the production of over 25 feature films and 30 television series and produced or coproduced five feature films. The company maintains deals with major Italian players such as Cinecitta Studios and Cinefinance Italia in order to guarantee the full tax credit and VAT tax cash flow.

Panorama has provided production services for – among others – Angels And Demons and Eat, Pray, Love for Sony-Columbia; Envy and The Island for Dreamworks; Midsummer’s Night Dream for Fox and The Sopranos for HBO. Pugini was executive producer on Spike Lee’s Miracle At St. Anna and recently line produced Ridley Scott’s pilot The Vatican for Sony/Showtime.

PETER SIMONITE

Peter Simonite (Director of Photography) is originally from Austin, Texas. Before becoming a DP himself, he worked under many legendary cameramen including Emmanuel Lubezki, Dante Spinotti, Benoit Delhomme and Daniel Pearl. As a 2nd Unit and Additional Photography Cinematographer, Simonite worked on such films as Terrence Malick’s heart-wrenching romantic drama To The Wonder and the critically acclaimed Tree Of Life starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain

Simonite has also had great success shooting international campaigns with directors such as Dante Ariola, Frank Budgen, Mark Pellington and the Guard Brothers. His commercials include spots for luxury brands such as Audi, Rolex, Microsoft, Nike and Canon. Man and Beast, the short film Simonite shot with Jeff Cronenweth, was nominated for the AICP award in 2012 for best cinematography. Additionally, Simonite’s music video piece Postcard From 1952 for Explosions In The Sky topped several best-of-the-year lists in 2012, including those of Time Magazine and NPR.

CLAYTON CONDIT

Clayton Condit (Editor) is co-founder and creative visionary behind Splice®. Partnering with Barb Condit, they have built an eclectic team of artists to deliver an exceptional, full-service post-production experience. His own diverse editing background includes narrative film, documentary, commercial and music videos. His resume includes music videos and retrospective segments for Prince and Paisley Park Studios along with the PBS documentary America’s Lost Landscapes. His credits also include Older Than America with Bradley Cooper and Adam Beach, Wedding Bros. with Jon Polito and Dan Fogler and Eric D. Howell’s award-winning films Ana’s Playground and Strangers.

DAVIDE DE STEFANO

Davide De Stefano (Production Designer) was born in La Spezia, Italy, and graduated with a degree in Art Direction for Cinema at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara near Florence. Initially working as a graphic designer, Stefano moved first into set design for stage productions and then as a Visual Artist for the screen. Focusing on period pieces, mainly at Cinecitta Studios, Stefano’s films include Tulse Luper Suitcases, Empire, The Flying Lessons, The Mother of Tears, Giallo and The Nativity Story.

Stefano’s first film as Production Designer was Un Gesto Di Coraggio set in 14th century Ascolo Piceno. He went on to design the action film Rabbia In Pugno and his first American movie, The Price, followed by the WWII drama Becker’s Farm and the mystery The Cursed Ones. Stefano has worked with many well known Italian directors including Carlo Lizzani, Pupi Avati and Francesca Archibugi as well as international directors such as Peter Greenaway, Catherine Harwicke, Zeke Pinheiro and Mark Roemmich.

ANNA LOMBARDI

Anna Lombardi (Costume Designer) studied fashion design at the renowned Central/Saint Martin’s in London after which she returned to Italy to collaborate with the couture house Irene Galitzine. Lombardi went from there to designing her first theatre show, an experience which marked her decision to specialize in Costume Design. Initially working as a stylist on commercials and music videos, her love of storytelling gradually moved her toward feature films. She gained invaluable experience assisting, costume supervising and buying for Academy Award-winning designers on movies such as Gangs of New York, Captain Corelli’s Mandoline and Nine.

Over the last decade, Lombardi has been designing costumes for shorts, stage plays and feature films. Passionate about working with the director to develop a vision, she focuses on historical research and her classical artistic background to set the mood for each production.

EJ HOLOWICKI

EJ Holowicki (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and re-recording mixer originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. EJ worked at Pixar for 10 years and has been at Skywalker Sound since 2010.

EJ’s work on major motion pictures, independent films and documentaries has made him a valuable asset to Skywalker Sound. His most recent projects include Strange Magic, Brave, War Horse, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Red Army and The Genius of Mariam.

GARY RIZZO

Gary Rizzo (Sound Mixer) was born and raised in New Jersey. He was Valedictorian of Full Sail Center for the Recording arts, graduating in 1993. Rizzo’s professional career as a re-recording mixer began in 1995 at Skywalker Sound. There he started out working on such films as Toy Story, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Titanic. Rizzo has worked on over 150 films. Some of his most notable work includes mixing dialogue and music for Tron:Legacy, How To Train Your Dragon and Hellboy.

In 2010 , he won the Academy Award® for Best Sound for Inception. Additionally, he was nominated for Best Sound for The Incredibles (2004), The Dark Knight (2008) and Interstellar (2014).