Italian-Argentine filmmaker Marcelo Grion is finally debuting his first self-funded feature film – a project that has been more than 20 years in the making.
The film is a sci fi thriller – expect time travel and alien terrorists – called The Prototype. Grion began shooting it on 16mm film 23 years ago. It will premiere at Arizona Harkins Theatres this Friday, February 25 and will be available on streaming sites on March 8.
Grion wrote his first screenplay when he was only 11 years old, but his Italian immigrant father discouraged the young filmmaker from pursuing a path in the arts. Grion’s passion persevered.
He went on to study at Fundacion Universidad del Cine in his native Argentina and wrote, directed and produced several short films. “I chose film because it was my childhood passion,” he says. “I fell in love with movies and characters.”
Though he didn’t have the funds to finish film school, he made a series of shorts and a slew of connections. “After that, I wanted to go to the United States because I really wanted to go to Hollywood,” he says. “I had the courage and I had a little bit of money saved, so I could actually make the trip but I said, ‘I don’t think I’m ready yet.’ I wanted to make another film before I go.”
So he set out on yet another project – a 40-minute film that took him nearly three years and gave him exposure in the entertainment industry. “I did interviews, I was on TV, people recognized me on the streets,” he says. He was finally ready to take on Tinseltown.
Grion came to Los Angeles with a science fiction screenplay and began working in restaurants to pay the bills. He freelanced small productions and worked at several studios while marketing his movie to agencies and production companies. “Nothing came out of it,” he says. “Eventually I had to start doing it on my own. I couldn’t just wait.”
He took a leap of faith and spent the remainder of his money on 16mm film cans and a camera. The Prototype finally came to fruition after a series of obstacles that may have stopped a less determined director. Shot in Southern Arizona and Italy, the film was in post-production six separate times and completed by several different visual effects teams. Grion also had to power through the pandemic and a particularly traumatic car accident.
“This huge SUV came from the side and hit my car so bad it actually rolled over. I was upside down with my seatbelt on, glass everywhere,” he says. “But I survived.”
These hindrances put a lot of things into perspective for Grion, who shot part of The Prototype in Tucson and Benson. He’s spent a lot of time thinking about his legacy. “That’s why I wanted to be in filmmaking,” he says. “Being a filmmaker allows me to create new worlds and to live forever… life is great, but it just goes so fast.”
Grion is grateful that the cast of The Prototype stuck with him for 23 years and hopes that it will open doors for their acting careers as well.
“Hopefully in 2022, The Prototype will be in every country,” he says. “That will be the goal – to connect with people, meet people, help people and get involved with new projects. That would be phenomenal.”
