Twelve Conversations was shot on the Olympic Peninsula and is the new film from Italian independent filmmaker Emanuele Valla. It is the first screenplay from songwriter Joshua W. Scott. The two met at the 2012 Columbia Gorge Film Festival in Vancouver, Washington at the screening of Valla's debut feature film, Dreaming Alaska, featuring two of Scott's songs.

The two have become  close friends and artistic partners, also collaborating on Rollercoaster Love soundtrack (2016). Twelve Conversations, coincidentally, was shot in twelve days in late January and early February of 2018, entirely in Port Townsend, Washington.

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Joshua W. Scott says, "When I began writing the script, I had no idea it would evolve into the hugely satisfying collaborative experience that it became.  The actors, the Italian crew and the people of Port Townsend came together to make possible a magical and honest film that we hope will appeal to people of all ages. Valla adds, "I felt as though this script was a gift.  As I was reading it, I suddenly felt a strong connection to every word on the page.  This is a  message to all those people out there so deeply connected to social networks, resulting in a profound

disconnection from the real world and from one another.  The art of true conversation has been lost, the eye to eye communication.  I would have included this movie in my personal ‘Gems’ collection of favorite films even if I had had no personal involvement at all with its creation. "To immerse myself in a new sensibility," Valla continues, "working with actors in a completely foreign environment, with English text, has been a hugely satisfying challenge for me.

I feel that we successfully combined art with passion.  It was evident throughout the entire process and was a kind of dream come true for me to make a film in America."

 

The first seed of Twelve Conversations was planted back in September of 2017.  Things moved quickly, including finding our two main actors to portray Noah and Jane.  

In the story, Jane returns to Port Townsend where her father, a collector of vinyl records, had lived for several years. From there comes a chance meeting involving the past, the present and the future.

Claudio Coloretti, Director of Photography, comments: "I found a great proficiency and dedication from the actors. The script was never obvious and was enriched by constant nuance.  Working closely with Emanuele was fun, especially on the artistic side.  We spent many long, enjoyable, smoke-filled nights planning and discussing the scenes following full days of shooting.

I think it's marvelous to have fun while working, where exhaustion, hunger and cold are replaced by excitement. It was my first experience working on a complex project with only four pieces of lighting equipment.  We completed the process of shooting in only twelve days."

Offering a helping hand was Dario D'Ambrosio, friend and screenwriter of previous Valla films.  He was an invaluable source of ideas and a wonderful creative consultant. Dario says, "The movie has very strong power and dignity.  Joshua brings his own unique experience to the script and has created something that other screenwriters could not have done as well."

 

Our two main actors, married in real life with a child, comment as well.

Laurie Getchell:  "It was a great privilege to portray Jane, a woman facing her past and future, while at the same time falling in love with the present, opening herself up to true love while facing a terrible loss.  The story is refreshingly nostalgic with a unique musicality all its own.

And the charm and beauty of Port Townsend captures the eye and the heart."

Gabe Smith:  Working on Twelve Conversations was a magical experience.  I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such talented and passionate people on this beautiful script.  We accomplished a lot in a very short amount of time.

I feel as if the time constraint and total immersion into the filming process made everyone involved feel very close, to the point where we now consider ourselves family."