Stefania Aronica, LISFF 2026, Short Screenplay Official Selection

-Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?

I am an actress and filmmaker, but also a medical radiographer and still work in a hospital on a daily basis. I like my job, helping people, chatting with them. They are the inspiration of a lot of my scripts.

-When and how did you get into writing?

I started writing children stories in my mother tongue (Italian) when I was very young, as part of my homework from school. I recently discovered a passion for storytelling in the form of screenwriting, because I really like the idea of turning them into movies. Funeral Shopping is actually my first short script in English.

-How often do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

I don’t have a specific routine, I write when I am inspired and that can happen at any point during the day and definitely not daily. If I am inspired by something and I cannot write on my laptop, I take notes on my phone. Inspirations can come from anything and anyone really, but often my patients at the hospital.

-How does it feel to have your work recognised?

I am really grateful for the success my story has had so far, I like the idea that people can be impacted by what I write.

-How did you develop the idea for your LISFF/LISP-selected work? Is there a story behind your story? And, how long have you been working on it?

As this was my first ever short script, it’s hard to answer because I really just started writing out of boredom, and then slowly words came out and turned into a proper story. I cannot even remember how long it took, but definitely over 6 months.

-Can you please give us a few tips  about writing?

Write, even if it doesn’t make sense, you will be able to read it all over again and fix what needs fixing. Write notes on your phone or notebook so you don’t forget them, and don’t be afraid to change things even when you think the script is done.

-What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions?

There’s a lot of competition and obviously the anxiety of failing completely. But I’m always grateful to be able to participate.

-Lastly, do you recommend the writers/filmmakers submit to LISP/LISFF?

Absolutely, it’s such a lovely competition, communication was easy and everyone really professional. Really nice to be able to have an interview too, as a recognition for our hard work.