Alessandro Pepe (director)

Alessandro Pepe (aka Alexx P, born October 22, 1987), is an Italian director, producer and soundtrack composer.

Early life

Alessandro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to LDS parents. His paternal grandparents were immigrants from Italy while his mother's family was from Chile. A year after his birth, the whole family moved back to Milan, Italy. From his parents he learned to speak both Spanish and Italian. At 6, his mother enrolled him in a MusicAL School studying piano, in a Boy Scouts group and in English private lessons. At 7, he was asked by his elementary school to prepare and direct his class recital for the end of the schoolyear. Towards the end of his childhood, Alessandro started to enjoy creating stories and shooting videos of his toy soldiers with his father's 8mm camera. He also began gaining recognition in his musical school in Milan and obtained a scholarship for the Conservatory. In 1997, due to his father’s work the whole family moved back to Argentina, and Alessandro was accepted at the Conservatory in Buenos Aires. In 2000 the family moved to Italy once again, due to the Argentine Great Depression. Alessandro was accepted at the Conservatory of Music in Cuneo and discovered digital technology and filmmaking. At 14, Alessandro started composing his first piano and choral soundtracks. Helped by some friends, he began learning to compose orchestral pieces as well. He applied at the Art Liceum in Cuneo and there studied Art History, Architecture and Design.

2003

2003 was the most important year of Alessandro's life. At 15 years old he discovered French Impressionism through the Haystacks of Monet. He also delved into Japonism and dreams to establish in Japan. These two periods greatly influenced him in the perception of light and color, changing how he drew storyboards and defining his style composing soundtracks. While at the Conservatory he also discovered Mozart's Requiem, which had a deep impact on his compositions. In that same year he became fascinated by Terrence Malick and the movie Thin Red Line, with its introspective way of making cinema.

Music and Cinema

During his adolescence, Alessandro produced many videos and songs, submitting them to various contests. He was refused by all of them for years. After having served an LDS mission for 2 years in Paris, he became fluent in 4 languages getting the chance to perform his own music in many countries of Europe, United States and South America releasing his songs for free on Youtube. The success started also through awards in several International Short Film Festivals and finally ends scoring all the Soundtracks of his own films.

Career

In 2012, Alessandro began work on his first feature-length film My Honor Was Loyalty, having no sponsors and without the backing of a production studio. He was aided by PROGETTO900, an historical reenactment group. The script was based in World War II, with the main character being a German soldier in the Waffen SS. After the release of the first trailer, he gained a larger name among independent movie makers. He collaborated with several groups all around Europe, giving him the chance to work on the project in several countries. The film was completed 3 years later, after shooting on location in Italy, Slovakia, France and Germany. After the premiere in Italy, the movie was also screened in London where Alessandro found agreements with Worldwide Distributors. The first European release was in January 2016, and the movie was selected for the Marche Du Film at the Cannes Film Festival following the worldwide release. The movie has been well received due to its entire realization with a minuscule budget of €15.000, and its new perspective of the war, as it shows the war crimes committed by the Allies as well as those of the Germans. The movie gained more than 250.000€. Alessandro also composed the soundtrack for My Honor Was Loyalty with piano, choir and orchestral pieces. The composition won 2 awards at the XII International Women in Music Festival, as "Best Soundtrack" and "Best Performance". In 2016 Alessandro announced the production of 4 short films still based on World War II theme from German point of view. They have been released on his Youtube Channel "MHWL Productions" and they have all been scored by him. He also announces the Production of a Japanese Style Short Film, to submit in 2017 Film Festivals submitting the Soundtrack to some Animè Production Studios in Tokyo.

Filmography

• 2012 – Without Fear (Short film)
• 2013 – Meeting My Brother (Short film)
• 2015 – My Honor Was Loyalty (Feature)
• 2015 – M I N D S (Short film)
• 2016 – Nur Wenige Sekunden (Short film)
• 2016 – Ich Habe Blut Vergossen (Short film)
• 2016 – Jungen (Short film)
• 2017 – ガラス玉 (Short film)

Soundtracks/Albums

• 2013 – So Close Yet So Far
• 2013 – I Will Take Care Of You
• 2014 – Ethereal
• 2015 – Enjoy The Silence
• 2015 – My Honor Was Loyalty
• 2017 – ガラス玉

Awards

• 2012 – Mormon Messages International Video Contest (Utah, U.S.): First Prize
• 2012 – Chevrolet "Make It Happen" Video Contest: First Prize
• 2013 – Borgo in Corto International Film Festival (Italy): Third Prize
• 2013 – RETROFilm Festival (Italy): Official Selection
• 2015 – Women in Music International Competition (Serbia): First Prize, Best Soundtrack.
• 2015 – Borgo in Corto International Film Festival (Italy): First Prize