These Same Streets is a grounded, character-driven short film set in Queens, New York. 

When Mark, a gifted but troubled young man from Queens, is offered a rare path toward a better life, he must choose between the future opening in front of him and the overworked mother and spiraling best friend he may have to leave behind to reach it.

The film follows Mark DiVincenzo, a volatile but deeply intelligent young man struggling against the limits of the life he was born into, and Danny Alvarez, his closest friend, whose loyalty, instability, and need for belonging pull him toward danger. Mark begins to fall for Anna Voss, a privileged girl from a world far removed from his own, at a wealthy suburban party. When Anna’s ex-boyfriend Trent notices Mark and Danny at the party, he causes a massive fight, ultimately leading to Mark’s arrest. Queens public defender Jim Russo steps in, opening a path toward college and a future Mark has never fully believed he deserves. 

While Mark expects to be treated as another lost cause, Queens public defender Jim Russo recognizes his intelligence, his potential, and the danger of the path he is currently on. Russo offers Mark something he has rarely experienced: accountability without cruelty and belief without judgment. For the first time, Mark is given a real opportunity to build a different life. But moving forward may mean leaving behind the overworked mother who raised him, the closest friend who is beginning to spiral, and the version of himself that learned to survive by never asking anyone for help.

The short will stand on its own as a complete dramatic story while serving as a proof of concept for the larger These Same Streets feature film. It introduces the characters, emotional stakes, visual style, and central question of the feature: how much can a young person’s future change when the right person steps in at the right time?

Too many young men are taught that silence is strength.

They learn to hide fear, loneliness, shame, and grief behind anger, humor, partying, recklessness, or violence. These Same Streets explores what can happen when that pain is finally recognized—and what can happen when it is not.

In the larger story, Mark and his closest friend, Danny, begin as reflections of one another. Both are loyal, wounded, and unsure how to ask for help. Mark meets Russo, a steady mentor who offers him care, structure, and a path forward. Danny instead falls under the influence of someone who offers him belonging but pulls him deeper into instability and danger.

Their different paths reveal how dramatically a life can be shaped by the support a person receives at the moment they need it most.

For writer Nicholas Tannuzzo, this story is personal. It draws from his own experiences growing up and from young men he knew who carried enormous pain without having the language or support to express it. The film is not about rejecting where you come from. It is about learning that love, loyalty, and masculinity do not have to require self-destruction.

At its heart, These Same Streets is a story about friendship, class, family fracture, shame, and the possibility of being seen before it is too late.

The completed feature screenplay tells a larger story, but this short captures its emotional heart in a focused and cinematic way.

By centering Mark's relationship with Jim Russo, the short shows the first major turning point in Mark's life: the moment someone looks beyond his anger and responsibilities, and recognizes the person underneath it.

The film is being created as a professional three-day production in New York City.

Once completed, we plan to submit it to film festivals and use it to build awareness, creative partnerships, actor attachments, and support for the feature.

The short allows audiences and potential collaborators to experience the world of These Same Streets rather than simply reading about it.

Our goal is to raise approximately $30,000 to produce the strongest and most professional version of the film possible. Every contribution will go directly toward the costs of production and completion, including:

Independent filmmaking requires every dollar to be used carefully. Contributions of any size will help us pay the artists bringing this story to life, secure the resources needed to create the film safely, and complete the film at a professional level.

Sharing the campaign is also an incredibly valuable way to support the project.

Every contribution helps bring These Same Streets to the screen. Rewards are cumulative, meaning each tier includes everything offered at the levels below it. Most rewards are digital so that as much funding as possible can go directly toward making the film.

Julia Messick is an award-winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. She has spent more than ten years directing films that explore coming of age, family, and mental health and has worked on more than 150 film productions.

Her thesis film, Funnel Cake, screened at more than twelve festivals across the United States and received awards including Best Female Student Director and Best Storyline.

Her experimental film Solstice premiered at the East Village Angelika during the Changing Minds Young Filmmaker’s Festival and has been featured on BronxNet TV and the Conversations on My Block podcast. The film is available through Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Apple TV.

Julia is also the Co-CEO of Indigo Studios NYC, a Brooklyn-based multimedia production company.

Nicholas Tannuzzo is an NYU graduate and New York City actor who trained under Bruce McCarty at the William Esper Studio, where he studied the Meisner technique.

For more than six years, he has worked as an actor across film and television. That experience has shaped his approach to writing, particularly his focus on behavior, character, and emotional truth.

These Same Streets draws heavily from his own life and from people he knew growing up. Through Mark and Danny, Nicholas hopes to explore the difference that guidance, empathy, and genuine belief can make in a young person’s life.

Producing an independent film in New York City comes with practical challenges, including a limited budget, a concentrated shooting schedule, location coordination, and the need to maintain a high production standard within three days.

However, our team is approaching the project with detailed planning, professional experience, and a clear understanding of what the story requires. Locations have already been scouted, the feature screenplay and treatment are complete, development of the short is underway, and our core filmmaking team is in place.

Julia’s experience across more than 150 productions has given her a strong understanding of how to adapt when unexpected challenges arise on set. Our goal is not simply to complete the film, but to create it safely, responsibly, and with the emotional and visual quality the story deserves.

These Same Streets is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas.

Eligible contributions made through this campaign may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Thank you for helping us bring These Same Streets from the page to the screen and for supporting a story about the people who intervene before someone is lost for good.