The Rezza Brothers and Anchor Niagara Welcome Actress Jennifer Esposito to the NOTL Premiere

It will be a dream come true for brothers Adrian and Lucas Rezza of Niagara-on-the-Lake when actress Jennifer Esposito joins them for the Canadian premiere of her film New victims Sunday, August 18 at Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate.

Hip-hop artists and producers known as 80 Empire have six original songs on the soundtrack to Esposito's directorial debut, about two young New York women struggling against the demands of their crime boss father.

Presented in partnership with Anchor Niagara, the Sunday evening event will raise funds for Gillian's Place, a non-profit organization that provides safe shelter and non-residential programs that empower women, gender and sexually diverse people and their children to break the cycle of violence.

In addition to an outdoor screening of the film, Esposito and co-producer Leslie Ann Owen will join the Rezza brothers on the amphitheater stage for a Q&A about the making of the film and how the brothers created the music that helps drive the story forward.

Lucas explains that the connection with Esposito happened one day when his brother saw that she was following one of their friends on Instagram.

“It was Gino Cafarelli, another incredible actor,” Lucas says. “Adrian noticed that his email address linked to his Instagram account was his personal email address. We always liked his work, so Adrian sent her an email and she responded.”

An online dialogue took place between the American actress and the Canadian musicians for a few months. Later, when the Rezzas were in New York in 2022 to shoot a music video, they agreed to have lunch with her. A lunch that lasted more than four hours.

“We had a direct connection,” Lucas adds. “When Jenn talked about the film and her ongoing struggle to make it, we asked her to write the music because we really believed in the project. She’s the opposite of Hollywood, a true independent filmmaker.”

Esposito (The Boys, Blue Bloods, Sam's Summer) arranged for Adrian and Lucas to see the film without music. They set up in Lucas' basement studio and composed the six songs used in New victims.

“In addition to being incredible human beings and incredibly gifted artists,” Esposito says in a text, “they’re fast. I think I called them at 8 o’clock one night about a track I needed and by midnight they had something sent to me.”

Although 80 Empire are hip-hop artists, Adrian points out that New victims is not a hip-hop movie. It's set in the late 80s and early 90s, and they created music that fits that era.

In their music videos, the members of 80 Empire come across as confident and confident as you'd expect from hip-hop artists. But in NOTL, they're just family men, helping coach their kids' soccer teams. The importance they place on their family is reflected in a New victims song, All say, featuring Adrian's daughters Simone and Julia, and Lucas' daughter Vanessa on vocals.

And don't let the film's macabre title put you off, which comes from a Staten Island landfill that was the world's largest until it closed in 2001. The landfill is a metaphor for the “waste” that main characters Connie (Odessa A'zion) and Rose (Emily Bader) face as they grapple with how their lives are affected by the decisions of their father (Domenick Lombardozzi). Esposito plays their mother, who is often struggling to survive.

“In this world, women are expected to accept the situation,” Adrian explains, “they don’t have a voice or can’t speak out because of the patriarchal system in place. And men justify their greed and ego by saying they’re ‘doing everything for the family,’ when in reality that’s not the case.”

New victims is set to be released in the U.S. in October 2023, but it’s only now arriving in select theaters in Canada. The Rezzas have been hitting the film festival circuit—Tribeca, The Hamptons, and Cinequest in San Jose—but they’d hoped all along to invite their new friend and artistic collaborator to NOTL for a screening of the film.

When Esposito and Owen agreed to visit NOTL with a copy of the film, the Rezzas immediately turned to Maria Mavridis to leverage her expertise in organizing events for charities through Anchor Niagara.

“If you read the story of Jennifer’s perseverance to make this film, and if you watch the film, you’ll understand why we chose Gillian’s Place,” Mavridis says. “It shines a light on the treatment of women, and I’ve always been passionate about empowering women. Gillian’s Place is an incredible organization.”

The Rezzas entrusted all local arrangements to Mavridis. She quickly contacted Craig Swanson, the manager of Jackson-Triggs Estate, who was happy to become a partner for the premiere.

“Maria has her roots in NOTL,” Adrian explains. “We wanted to team up with someone who was on the same page as us. We’re great at what we do in music, but Maria has facilitated and executed things on a larger scale. And I think she and Jenn are on a parallel path.”

Tickets for the Canadian premiere on August 18 New victims are available via the Anchor Niagara Websitewhere a discounted rate of $43.93 is currently in effect. General admission will be $60 closer to the show date, and a VIP meet-and-greet with Esposito is available for $80.

The brothers hope that the New victims The first is just the beginning of a series of collaborations with Esposito, and suggests that they invited her into Lucas' studio to lay down some vocals for a few demo tracks.

But for now, they're excited to be able to screen the film in front of a local audience for a good cause on August 18.

“It’s a great film, very authentic and believable,” says Adrian. “Jenn is an exceptional writer and director. We’re truly honored to have been a part of it.”