Ancient Curses, Modern Cinema: How 'Pepe sul Cuore' Reimagines Heritage

VANCOUVER, BC – June 08, 2026 – On July 7th, as audiences settle into the Spirit Theatre in Toronto, they won't just be watching a film premiere. They'll be witnessing a quiet convergence, a place where the threads of ancient folklore, surrealist modernism, and environmental responsibility intersect. The film, Pepe sul Cuore, is a Canadian-made short poised for its world premiere at the prestigious ICFF Lavazza IncluCity Festival, but its significance extends far beyond its 20-minute runtime. It represents an emerging model of innovation in the creative industries—one that proves storytelling can be a vehicle for cultural preservation, artistic boundary-pushing, and forward-thinking ethical practice.

At its heart, the film is an intimate story of grief and inheritance. It follows Antonia (Eva Tavares), a young woman grappling with the recent death of her grandmother. Her loss is compounded by the state of her mother, Mary (Claudia Ferri), who is consumed by a paralytic grief she believes to be the Mal'occhio—the evil eye. This curse, a staple of Southern Italian folk tradition, could only be cured by the late Nonna, leaving Antonia to navigate a labyrinth of forgotten rituals to save her mother. It's a narrative that could easily become a historical curiosity, but in the hands of writer-director Oriana Di Nucci, it becomes something vibrantly alive.

Weaving Folklore into Modern Cinema

The true innovation of Pepe sul Cuore begins with its approach to heritage. Di Nucci, who grew up in Toronto’s Italian neighbourhood, draws from what producer Micah Kelpin calls “living cultural memory.” This isn't an academic exercise; it's an act of translation. The film uses a surrealist lens to explore the psychological and emotional reality of the Mal'occhio, transforming a folk belief into a potent metaphor for the inherited traumas and unbreakable bonds that pass between generations of women.

Di Nucci's background in both theatre and film, coupled with her artistic focus on women's experiences, allows her to sidestep cliché. Instead of simply depicting a tradition, she interrogates its function: how do these rituals help us process the illogical nature of grief? What power do they hold in a world that has largely moved on from them? By framing the story through surrealism, the film invites the audience to experience the disorientation and desperation of its characters, making the ancient feel immediate and deeply personal. This fusion of old-world mysticism with contemporary cinematic language is a powerful form of innovation, ensuring that cultural heritage is not just remembered, but actively re-imagined for a new generation.

A Confluence of Talent on a Global Stage

The film’s resonance is amplified by a cast and crew that embody a similar intersection of worlds. The leads, Eva Tavares and Claudia Ferri, bring formidable depth to the mother-daughter dynamic. Tavares is a multi-hyphenate artist with credits spanning stage and screen, while Ferri is a celebrated veteran of Canadian film, her Jutra-nominated role in Mambo Italiano making her an icon of Italian-Canadian cinema. Their pairing grounds the film's surrealist flights in raw, emotional truth.

Adding another layer of fascinating convergence is the casting of Zak Santiago as the local priest. Santiago, an accomplished actor with a long list of credits, was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in 2024, bringing a unique real-world authenticity to his role. The project is executive produced by Antonio Cupo, an actor who has built a remarkable career bridging North American and Italian entertainment, most notably starring in Italy’s most-watched television series, Elisa di Rivombrosa. His involvement underscores the film's cross-cultural appeal.

This confluence of talent finds its ideal platform at the ICFF Lavazza IncluCity Festival. More than a simple film festival, the ICFF transforms Toronto’s historic Distillery District into an open-air cinema village, an innovation in audience engagement and community building. Its 'Canada Spotlight' programme, where Pepe sul Cuore will premiere, is specifically designed to foster and elevate national talent, providing a global stage for distinctly Canadian stories. The selection validates the film's artistic merit and its contribution to our national cinematic landscape.

The Future of Production: Greener and Bolder

Perhaps the most telling innovation, and the one with the broadest implications for the future, lies not on the screen but behind it. The film's production company, Perfect 7 Media Inc., is emblematic of a new wave of independent creators who see no distinction between artistic integrity and operational responsibility. Founded in 2023 by producer Micah Kelpin, the Vancouver-based company has a mission to create “bold, character-driven” content, and is already expanding from award-winning shorts to feature film development.

Crucially, Perfect 7 Media is a signatory to “Producing for the Planet,” a coalition of Canadian independent producers committed to sustainable production and mitigating climate change within the film industry. This is not a passive gesture. The initiative requires members to actively measure and reduce their environmental impact, from energy consumption and waste production to travel-related emissions. The coalition's inaugural 2024 action report, which detailed nearly 2,000 climate actions taken by 70 producers, shows a tangible industry-wide shift. By embedding sustainability into its operational DNA, Perfect 7 Media is challenging the long-held assumption that artistic creation happens in a vacuum, separate from its environmental cost.

This commitment to a triple bottom line—artistic, cultural, and environmental—is where the future of creative enterprise is heading. Pepe sul Cuore is more than just a film; it is a case study. It demonstrates that a small, independent production can simultaneously delve deep into a specific cultural heritage, push artistic boundaries, and operate with a conscious commitment to the planet. As the film prepares for its debut, it stands as a testament not only to the power of a story well told, but to a new paradigm where innovation in art is inseparable from responsibility in practice.