Louis Antonelli is a filmmaker and poet, born in Chicago, Illinois on July 28, 1962. He has written, designed, photographed, produced, & directed theatrical and television films through his independent companies Grand Cinema, and Quadrama/Film, as well as commercial productions for dozens of International Media & Entertainment companies.

Career

Louis Antonelli began his professional career at age 17, while still a student at Gordon Technical High School

Gordon Technical High School

Gordon Tech High School, formerly known as Gordon Technical High School, is a Roman Catholic high school located in Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the north side of Chicago on Addison Street and California Avenue. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 with the theatrical release of his celebrated short film, ‘The Game'. He continued studies at Columbia College

Columbia College Chicago

Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...

, The American Film Institute

American Film Institute

The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, and The Maine Photographic Institute. Antonelli has created 24 independent films since 1982, many of which have been honored with awards and/or screenings at The Chicago International Film Festival, World Fest Houston, The San Francisco Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

, The Berlin Film Festival, and a Special Jury Award for Outstanding Direction from The Venice Film Festival. He has won two prestigious TELLY Awards, A MarCom Creative Award, Videography 2005 & 2006, and is a two time EMMY Nominee. Louis Antonelli's writing honors include; Poet/1990 for Outstanding Creative Writing by World Poetry, San Francisco Ca. His written works have been published internationally since 1990 exclusively by VIA. With the publication of his work, 'Death of the Romantics' in 1994, Antonelli was named Outstanding Writer of America by The National Library.

In 1994, Antonelli began a three year project to restore and reissue the Film Noir masterpiece, 'The Hitch-Hiker' (1953) directed by the legendary Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...

. Antonelli worked on the restoration project in collaboration with The Roan Group and The Library Of Congress

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...

. Due in part to Louis Antonelli's efforts, Ida Lupino's classic film was entered into the National Registry of Historic American Films in 1998.

Antonelli is a member of The Mentors Program/USA, NARAS, SMPTE, and is a SAG signatory. Louis Antonelli was featured in the 1998 feature film, 'Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River' by Director D.P. Carlson, in which he discussed his life and career. In 2006, Antonelli was named by Strathmore's List as a 'Who's Who among Outstanding International Professionals - Entertainment & Media'. Other recent awards and honors include a 2009 'Classic' TELLY Award, which Antonelli won with fellow producer Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley

Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...

, of the rock band Kiss

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

, for their film One Live Kiss, released by Universal/UME New Door Records.

Among the performers Antonelli has worked with are outstanding artists such as Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...

, Metallica

Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

, Von Freeman

Von Freeman

Earle Lavon Freeman Sr. is an American hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist. He is the father of jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman.-Biography:...

, The Ramones, Robert Clarke

Robert Clarke

Robert Irby Clarke was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s.-Early life:...

, Ahmad Jamal

Ahmad Jamal

Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...

, Max Roach

Max Roach

Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...

, Eleventh Dream Day

Eleventh Dream Day

-History:The band was founded by guitarists Rick Rizzo and Janet Beveridge Bean, who met at a place fondly known as 1069. This was a house/practice space/hang out in Louisville where at the time Janet was practicing with the band she was in with Tara Key and Tim Harris; the Zoo Directors. They...

, Bonnie Blair

Bonnie Blair

Bonnie Kathleen Blair is a retired American speedskater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.-Career:Blair...

, Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

, Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...

, Helmet

Helmet

A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...

,
Prince Akeem, Sam Kinison

Sam Kinison

Samuel Burl "Sam" Kinison was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Kinison was known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect genre humor...

, Eric Burdon

Eric Burdon

Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...

, Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...

, Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley

Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...

 (solo) and Kiss

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

Selected filmography

• 'Ida' (1969)
• 'Loved Dead' (1977)
• 'Light' (1978)
• 'Action/Reaction' (1979)
• 'The Ramones 1980' (1980)
• 'The Game' (1980)
• 'Time Lapse' (1982)
• 'Devil' (1983)
• 'Midnight Movie' (1983)
• 'Talking Walls' (1984)
• 'Touch Tomorrow' (1987)
• 'A Place For Us' (1990)
• 'Time Was' (1991)
• 'In The Shadows' (1991)
• 'it takes a lot of light to make a city' (1992)
• 'Suor Angelica' (1993)
• 'Last Day In Chicago' (1994)
• 'The Wizard of Austin Boulevard' (1994)
• 'The Black and White Face' (1995)
• 'The Camera Eye View' (1996)
• 'Daybreak' (1998)
• 'Entertainer' (2002)
• 'Touching Lives' (2005)
• 'Paul Stanley * One Live KISS' (2008)

Selected bibliography

• 'Doll Houses' (1976)
• 'Image + Words' (1978)
• 'Haunter' (1978)
• 'Light from the Window' (1980)
• 'FILMMAKER' (1982)
• 'In Autumn' (1983)
• 'RED' (1983)
• 'E.A.P.' (1984)
• 'Lips from the Canvas' (1987)
• 'The Wizard of Austin Boulevard' (1988)
• 'Little Black Dress' (1989)
• 'Small Voice' (1989)
• 'Newsprint Hands' (1989)
• 'Little Jazz' (1989)
• 'In The Business' (1991)
• 'The Black & White Face' (1991)
• 'it takes a lot of light to make a city' (1991)
• 'Little John' (1991)
• 'for Domenica' (1992)
• 'The Thoughts of an Unborn Child' (1992)
• 'Our Mask' (1993)
• 'RED #2' (1993)
• 'The Exhaulted Mirror' (1993)
• 'Dizzy Atmosphere' (1993)
• 'Death of the Romantics' (1994)
• 'View from the Lighthouse' (1996)
• 'The Camera Eye View' (1996)
• 'Vita' (1997)
• 'You Taught My Heart to Sing' (1997)
• 'HATE' (2000)
• 'Saturday's Kids' (2002)
• 'Your Hand' (2002)
• 'RED #3' (2003)
• 'The Alchemist's Sketchbook' (2005–2007)
• '91' (2008)
• 'FORZA' (2008)