RICHMOND, Va. — The Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU might not look like your traditional movie theater, at least from the outside. But on certain nights, you’ll find the modish museum filled with film buffs, excited to spend the next 90 or so minutes soaking in the silver screen.
This month, the ICA is hosting the New Richmond Filmmakers series described as a “sampling of the city’s thriving film-making community.”
Danny Caporaletti is one of those making that community flourish. Inside of a renovated old bus depot on Broad Street, the VCU professor is giving the green light to the next generation of movie makers.
Essentially Cinema 101, Caporaletti’s course teaches blocking, staging, storytelling, and all the other ins and outs of directing a motion picture.
These are the types of lessons one used to have to travel to LA or New York to learn, but that started to change a few years ago.
"So many students that are working on professional sets now, they started right here in this program, myself included," Caporaletti said.
In addition to the university, Caporaletti credits the Virginia Film Office for the work it has done to help local filmmakers pursue their passion.
“It’s a great resource for helping students get work or just get connected to what’s happening in town,” Caporaletti said.
And this professor knows what the industry is looking for.
In addition to teaching cinema, Caporaletti spends countless days a year on location. He’s directed movies and commercials and has worked on many film and television sets.
He’s taken his work to festivals across the country, but it’s not every day he gets to see a movie he helped make on the big screen in his hometown.
But that’s exactly what happened last September, when “Griffin in Summer” received a special screening at the ICA.
The coming-of-age comedy has received rave reviews from critics since its release.
In 2024, it won the Best U.S. Narrative Feature prize at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, in addition to directing and screenplay honors for the film’s writer/director, Nicholas Colia.
Most importantly, it was shot in Central Virginia.
"Richmond was a huge part of what made this movie have it’s very specific character,” said Caporaletti, who served as the film’s assistant director. “I think we knew when we were making the movie that it was going to be good."
Executive producer Fred Bryant, who attended the University of Richmond, could not agree more.
"Everybody was living the Richmond life while they were here, so it's a major, major component of the film," said Bryant. "The momentum, the comedy, everything that works about the film that we kind of really focused on, we really focused it for a theater audience."
In a world gone streaming, you still can’t beat an in-person popcorn flick. Especially one that was locally made.
"Movies can be made anywhere in the country," said Caporaletti. "And the more sort of support and crew support that can go into, you know, a film market like Richmond or anywhere else in Virginia, it benefits everybody."
"Griffin in Summer" is streaming on Hulu and can be rented on Amazon Prime.
As part of the New Richmond Filmmakers series, Caporaletti will be hosting a Q&A after a screening of the movie “Saturnalia” at the ICA on April 9. The event begins at 6 p.m.
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