Charlie Di Stefano’s third film Is This Forever focuses on a heart-warming and heart-breaking true story of two brothers navigating complex layers of love and the importance of brotherhood, while tackling the frankness of grief and mental health.
The film marks his third original story film after his two award winning films In a World of Copies and 11 Years. Both deal with two topical issues such as identity issues and climate change.
What is Is This Forever about? Where does the inspiration come from?
On June 14, 2020, Charlie unexpectedly lost his older brother Lucca Di Stefano. Lucca was a passionate, troubled, loving and incredible soul that left this earth far too early, a person who struggled greatly with personal mental health issues.
Charlie aims to share his brother’s story with the rest of the world as he believes it is necessary to help others across the world who are struggling with grief, broken relationships, difficult family dynamics and mental health issues, helping others realise they aren’t alone.
The film is based on true events sourced from actual life experiences following a complicated journey of two brothers. Billy and Gabe grow up in an overwhelming and suffocating world but filled with complex layers of love as they battle to keep a healthy relationship with one another. The story takes viewers on a wild rollercoaster of pain, anger, confusion and love, navigating through mental health issues and the complexity of love. However, the overpowering bond of brotherhood helps them overcome their differences to see the incredible love and respect they have for each other. Until the clock runs out. A film that is brutally honest, but beautiful in its frankness.
Charlie hopes the power and honesty of this true story allows young men that struggle with mental health issues, to realise that they can be vulnerable, as there is no point in suffering in silence.
What’s Charlie’s previous filmmaking and acting history?
Charlie is primarily a performer, acting since a young age and has many years of experience in the industry, taking trips from Australia to Los Angeles to further his professional career. He has representation in Australia and the U.S.
He has had major roles in significant network shows such Channel 10’s How to Stay Married and ABC’s new TV show Crazy Fun Park, which has recently been renewed for a second season, with Charlie reprising his role as Kevin McDillon. He has featured in many films playing a wide range of characters. His professional theatre productions include John Proctor in The Crucible and King Malcolm in Macbeth.
In terms of Charlie Di Stefano’s filmmaking experience, he is a passionate writer who created his first short film In a World of Copies at the age of 15, and another short film 11 Years at 16 in the United States, working with industry professional Rick Stevenson under Prodigy Camp productions. He has also worked on a number of other productions in both the U.S and Australia.
What was Charlie’s Creative process like in creating the story?
A lot of Charlie’s inspiration for creating Is This Forever began when he re-visited his older brother’s funeral speech back in 2020. Noticing that at the time and to this day, he would often remember the memories and stories he had with his brother growing up; not only the beautiful and joyful times but also the brutal and scary ones. Discovering the difficulty in being able to write a speech about that – to sum up the most important relationship in your life, of the unique and complex relationship that all brothers can relate to. How can any 17-year-old boy be expected to know what to say? This is what truly drove Charlie’s structure and theme throughout the film. Charlie established the arc of his struggle with the unusual and abnormal emotions around the loss of his older.
We see the character being consistent, both verbally and visually, asking ‘will this last forever?’ ‘Will the pain of grief last forever’. This is something that drove Charlie’s creative process as an actor and writer.
Why is this story so impactful and important to be shared with the world?
This is an incredibly important question of grief that is so often asked but is never truly addressed in mainstream media, especially from the perspective of a teenage boy. In modern society, we can often be brought up to fear the conversation of death and loss, as if is too uncomfortable or inappropriate.
However, Charlie bravely breaks down the societal norms through the brutally honest style of Is This Forever. The film does not hold back its beauty of frankness, pushing the sad truths of today’s issues with young men’s mental health. While also allowing reflection of his own battles with the confusion of grief and how for young people it can be the most terrifying situation to deal with.
Charlie believes that by spreading his personal experience with mental health issues within himself and his older brother Lucca that he can help bring more awareness to the issue of men suffering in silence, making both men and women more aware of properly checking in with their dad, brother, husband, boyfriend, cousin, nephew, uncle.
Sadly, the majority of men are 4 times less likely to seek help due to the often false stigma of believing that being open is a sign of weakness, when in reality, being vulnerable is fair more brave than lying about your true mental health state.
Who is on board for this project?
Charlie has brought together a terrific crew and cast of Aussie and U.S actors who are passionately dedicated to this story coming to life on the screen. Filming begins in the late stages of October. As Charlie is currently working with the inspirational team at AAFTA, Jessica Orcsik and Robbie Ryde, who are huge believers in Charlie’s story, supporting him as script editors. Jonah Mazer is the director of photography and co-director of Is this Forever, and has an incredible eye for beautiful shots.
The cast of the film is outstanding. Harrison Cone playing Gabe (older brother), a U.S born actor who has featured in shows such as Superstore and American Horror Story. Katie Northlich plays the mother of the boys, a terrific actor who has years of experience in the industry as an actor and solo performer, having being head of acting at New York Film Academy for 7 years. John Hindman portrays the father of the boys. Hindman is a director, writer and actor who has been in films such as LA LA Land and writing and directing his original film The Answer Man. Lachlan Mckillop plays Jason. Lachlan is a well-established actor, featuring in numerous productions in Australia.
How is this film funded?
Charlie currently has raised over $12,750USD, which has mainly been sourced from the Melbourne community and local communities. Some of greatest supporters include Never Mind Bar just off Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn, who donated $1,000 USD personally. As well, the amazing Susie Montague-Delaney who was the producer of Ride Like A Girl (2019) and Little Tornadoes (2021) also contributed over $1,000USD to the making of Charlie Di Stefano’s Is This Forever.
The biggest donation came from the Richmond community of Bendigo Street Milk Bar across the road from the original Channel Nine Studios, run by Charlie’s incredibly selfless parents Diane Di Stefano and Mario Di Stefano. They had a fundraiser night for the film in mid-September, where all walks of Charlie’s life and the Richmond community came together to raise over $6300AUD in one night.
For more information, on Charlie’s Di Stefano’s Project Is This Forever and where to donate to this inspirational story visit GoFundMe and Instagram.
