Stefano Da Frè is an Italian-born Canadian actor, director, and producer. He is the co-founder and president of Rosso Films International.
Da Frè is best known for the documentaries The Girl Who Cannot Speak and The Day I Had to Grow Up. His films have been screened at multiple film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and the Chelsea Film Festival in New York.
Early life and education
Born in Italy, Da Frè initially received training from the Ryerson Theatre School before attending the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Career
After graduating, Da Frè began his career with a role in Taking Woodstock, a film directed by Ang Lee, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Later that year, Da Frè appeared in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Da Frè subsequently appeared in TV series including Blue Bloods, One Bad Choice, Pandora's Box: Unleashing Evil.
In 2009, Da Frè was elected as a member of the selection committee for the Montreal International Film Festival, and has been an active member ever since.
In 2018, Da Frè's documentary, The Girl Who Cannot Speak, debuted, exploring five women's sexual abuse narratives amidst the MeToo movement. Later that year, it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Meet The Press Film Festival in Washington, D.C., a festival co-hosted with the American Film Institute. The film was also selected for screening at St. Louis International Film Festival and the Saguenay International Short Film Festival in 2019.
In 2020, Da Frè directed and produced The Day I Had to Grow Up, a documentary on U.S. youth activism addressing issues such as gun violence and climate change. The film was featured at the 2021 St. Louis International Film Festival and won the Jury Prize at Switzerland International Film Festival. The documentary also won the FFTG Spirit Award in 2021. In the same year, Da Frè co-directed another film titled The Moon in Deep Winter with Laura Pellegrini. Subsequently, the film was screened twice at the Cannes Film Festival. It also received the Best Screenplay Award at the Chelsea Film Festival in New York.
In December 2022, Da Frè directed a feature film, Stolen Dough, with Da Frè and Laura Pellegrini as producers. The film explores the battle between Italian-American inventor Anthony Mongiello and Pizza Hut over the patent for stuffed crust pizza. The documentary, which received the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Grant, is scheduled to air on the Disney Channel in 2023. In July 2023, the documentary won the Best Documentary Award at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival in Athens, Greece.
In July 2023, Da Frè advocated in support of the SAG-AFTRA union strike against AMPTP Producers.
Personal life
On January 3, 2022, Broadway actress Sierra Boggess announced her engagement to Da Frè. The couple were married at the Chateau Coindre Hall on Long Island, New York on April 23, 2023.
Filmography
Film
Taking Woodstock (2008) Confidence Game (2016) Tu Me Manques (2017) Sarah Q (2018) The Moon in Deep Winter (2018) The Girl Who Cannot Speak (2019) The Day I Had to Grow Up (2020)
Television
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2009) One Bad Choice (2015) Immunity (2016) Pandora's Box: Unleashing Evil (2016–2018)
Awards and recognition
2018: Best Screenplay Award for The Moon in Deep Winter at the Chelsea Film Festival 2021: FFTG Spirit Award for The Day I Had To Grow Up 2023: Best Documentary Award for Stolen Dough at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival
References
Italian actors
Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alumni
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people