Project Creator's Name & Bio

Greg Di Roma is an American filmmaker, amateur hockey player and church ministry leader from Peekskill, NY. He is known for his cinema verité style films and videos most especially, Our Triumphant Holy Day. Greg has many passions an is always integrating them together in some sort of way with his films, from hockey to faith to music and so forth.

Project Name & Bio

OUR TRIUMPHANT HOLY DAY chronicles filmmaker Greg Di Roma’s journey on a pilgrimage into the Holy Land in Israel and Palestine with 28 other pilgrims in January 2020. The film explores major sites of the Holy Land and their impact on Salvation History. The pilgrims follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ and discover the human side of His story that highlight the true meanings of Love, Faith and Suffering. Along the way, the trip leads to a deep conversion in Greg’s Catholic Faith and Life that he never thought possible.

Who are the people who have influenced your filmmaking?

Jesus, George Lucas, Steven Spielburg, Martin Scorcese, Chivo,

Could you share any amusing stories or incidents that happened during your process of making the project?

There have been many, but there's one in particular that comes to mind. On the third day of our trip which was my birthday, our tour guide and cinematographer, Fabricio approached me when we were on our way to Caeserea Phillippi and he asked me if I was getting everything he was explaining to us and I said yes. He then made a deal with me where I would give him the footage of him explaining the site and he would give me his gimbal. I was shocked and asked him if he was sure and he said said yes. Talk about a great birthday present. After the trip was over he gave me the gimbal.

Can you describe a challenges you faced while working on this project, and how you overcame it?

One was at some of the sites we didn't have a lot of time to explore so I made sure I got shots of just about every part of a sight or at least the most significant details of a site. Keeping shots steady were also a challenge because I had a DSLR and Camcorder. I mostly used the DSLR which was the Canon 5D Mark IV. I didn't have a specific rig, I just had it either on a monopod or sometimes I had to go handheld due to time constraints but also some sites either had restrictions or were not ideal to carry a lot of gear around.

How can you collaborate effectively with an editor to shape the final version of your project?

So I was the sole editor of this project but I've collaborated with editors on other projects, it's always good to review everything you have and come up with some sort of vision beforehand we have some guidance. It's always good to figure out ways you can execute ideas before you put any clips on the timeline.

What was your actual budget for making this project? If you were given more resources, how would you like to proceed?

It was mostly self funded. Of course if I had more resources, I would've liked to have had an actual rig for my camera and a sound person would've been good too.

Could you please tell us what projects you are planning to work on next?

I'm currently working on a documentary about my trip to Italy which consists of the stories of the saints but will also connect to what we do with our ministries back home. I'm also starting to work on a documentary about the Syrian Orthodox Church. I have some other projects I'm planning out which will be announced soon.

Could you share with us a proud accomplishment from your creative journey?

Of course this project, this was my first feature film and I could not be more proud of the result. I was honestly taken back in a good way by the reception of it. My goal was to make this a film anybody can be engaged in since this is a Catholic film. My composer and close friend Amato Peace who I make music videos for, really did an amazing job on this. It's cool to see us be able to collaborate both ways with music and film

What are the biggest challenges of making a film today and how can the festival circuit help achieve your dream?

Getting an audience is definitely I would say the toughest part. Yes budgets and creating the story can be a challenge but to really get a big audience is very difficult even today. Sure you can put it on YouTube or social media so it's out there publicly, but with the internet and content being so saturated, you have to do more than that. The film festival circuit is a great way to get people to see your film but to also have word of mouth spread. Racking up awards or getting lots of recognition definitely helps get your film seen. And you never know what connections you can make.

What advice do you have for individuals who aspire to become filmmakers/writers?

If it's something you really want to do, go for it. Even if it's hard, even if the odds may be against you. When you really want something and to be really successful, you'll eventually get it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it.

Share your experiences and suggestions for improving the Stingray International Film Festival.

Got nothing but great things to say. Stingray International Film Festival has been very welcoming and has a lot of professionalism.