For local emerging filmmaker Danni Deluca performing arts had a strong influence on her from a young age. Still to this day, the arts are deeply ingrained in her identity as a creative practitioner.

“If you would’ve asked me when I was a kid what I'd want to do it was either sing in a nightclub or, be a movie star or a director. I just wanted to be a part of the action somehow.” Performing stuck with Deluca even through college as she pursued an undergraduate degree in Opera.

However somewhere along the journey she was captivated by the process of filmmaking. “Film is forever, it touches people in such a [unique] way. I think with film it's visual storytelling that instantly relates [to] people.”

Deluca found that film cultivates connection and authenticity through storytelling that looks to expose vulnerabilities and in turn “gives people permission to feel [their vulnerabilities] as well.”

For Deluca, film was distinct from other art forms in the way that it seeks imperfections not to eliminate them but to “humanize the circumstance” and allow audiences to deeply relate. She recalls, “Coming into [filmmaking] I think it became very apparent to me early on that in order to pull back the curtain of human experiences, you had to let go. You had to be willing to show the cracks.”

Deluca soon found her way to Park City in 2013. “ I was fortunate enough to see and experience the town in its heyday of locals only, empty snowy streets to stroll down from the nightlife of Main and the charm of Old Town. Where you knew every bartender behind the bar, every barista, waiter, and ski instructor on the mountain.” Not only did she meet some of her closest friends and have some of the best outdoor experiences in Park City, but opportunities soon came along as well.

After her roommates neglected to loop her in to the fact their three bedroom condo was being taken over by a full film production, Deluca met Amy Wilkins who recruited her as a PA. From there, Deluca went on to work on various productions including Mosaic, Windriver and Yellowstone. “It came down to just word of mouth and small community. Everybody recommends everybody. So I was just fortunate to kind of dip my toe in that, and that kind of led me to the next thing and the next commercial and the next film and the next TV show.”

Having found some footing in the industry, Deluca decided to apply for her Master’s degree and was accepted into The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Her stay abroad was short lived as schools started to shut down in April of 2020. After returning to the states to weather through the pandemic, Deluca headed back to London earlier this year to finish her studies and complete her final project–creating and producing her own short film completely by herself.

“This is not something that one person [normally] attempts to do alone. It’s near impossible to divide your creative and productive energies constantly, and that’s been a constant pull I’m learning.”

Deluca finds that crafting ideas is one of the most enjoyable steps in the initial stages of developing her short film: “the beginning of the idea that this is something you can do and create and share. There's almost like this giddiness and this excitedness that comes with that when you're working from that perspective of how can I connect to others.”

On the other hand, assembling a team and finding funding opportunities in a foreign country proved to be the biggest challenge in the production process so far. “The location has been incredibly challenging. Not having a network base, not having people that I just instantly knew. The process of how do I go about collecting these people and also how do I go about paying for all of this. That's been a tremendous challenge.”

Filming her short film Kismet proved to be an experience that was equal parts rewarding and eventful. “[Production was] very unexpected and stressful to say the least. But that’s the thing with a shoot, you never know what to really account for, as all things seem to be variables.” A tube strike the day of filming caused Deluca's director of photography, Miguel Cármenes, to have to take three bridges in order to get into London itself and tons of delays securing Ubers for crew and equipment.

Throughout all the unexpected occurrences and production hiccups, Deluca remains passionate about the story she’s telling through Kismet. The film centers around the themes of second chances and fate and asks audiences to wonder what would you do differently if given the chance to do it all over again. “This is a story about that opportunity to trust your gut, trust your heart, and listen to your instincts, and allow fate to move in. My hope is that people take away from my film, the desire to remain true to themselves. To listen to their instincts and to be brave, and that timing is everything. If life gives you a second chance, you take it, and you run with it.”

While the production process has concluded, Deluca still finds herself under a time crunch as she continues to fundraise to pay cast and crew and move her film through editing and post production. Sharing and donating to her GoFundMe campaign are the best methods to support her as Kismet has to be completed by the end of September in order for Deluca to graduate.

After concluding her program, Deluca’s excited to get back home and jump back in. Apart from seeking projects and programs centered around women filmmakers, her main hope is to start circulating Kismet to various platforms and film festivals stating, “Sundance, I’m coming for you.”

Stills from Kismet

Danni Deluca // Local Filmmaker Captures Vulnerability Through Film