FEATURE IN DEVELOPMENT
(Director/Writer)
In spring 2025, we completed the proof-of-concept for The Last Romantic, a feature that I wrote and will direct. Here are a few select frames from the proof that showcase the lush, evocative cinematography of Thaïs Castralli, all shot on 35mm film (200T/500T).
For inquiries, please contact Carolina Pizarro Hernandez at hello@cphproductionsinc.com.
LOGLINE: 1927. After the death of actor Rudolph Valentino, studio executive Maeve Montgomery is determined to turn taxi dancer and gigolo Julian Ayers into the next romantic icon. But Julian’s meteoric success leads them both down a path of destruction, scandal, and vengeance. The Last Romantic is a story about sex, power, and the price of pursuing an impossible ideal on the threshold of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
As someone who grew up in the digital age, I never expected to be able to work with film, but learning how to shoot 35mm on a vintage Eclair Cameflex completely changed my approach to filmmaking. Feeling the sprockets engage with physical film as it moves through the camera is a thrill unlike any other; the sensation is like a roller coaster getting into gear as the camera pulls you — and the story— forward. Every frame is precious. Five years into my film experience, there’s no greater satisfaction than seeing the image in my head permanently preserved on celluloid.
Shooting on film was essential for a story about crafting an image during the early days of Hollywood. We used 35mm film and “movie star lighting” to show how early cinematographic techniques transformed actors into gods, while sourcing inspiration from paintings; silent films (including many featuring Valentino); lush period pieces like Phantom Thread, The Leopard, and 1941’s Blood and Sand; and the photography of George Hurrell.
