In Search of Magical Waters is the working title of a short film by Serena Kovalosky that weaves art and environmentalism through the creative life of artist and angler Adriano Manocchia.
The film takes the viewer on an extraordinary excursion both in the studio and on the river – from the ups and downs of the creative process to the environmental and spiritual philosophy behind the “sacred art of fly-fishing.”
Produced, directed, written and hosted by Serena Kovalosky of Artful Vagabond Productions. The film is currently in post-production.
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SYNOPSIS:
IN SEARCH OF MAGICAL WATERS
For over three decades, Adriano Manocchia has traveled from the Battenkill River in northeastern New York to Yellowstone National Park and beyond, looking for “magical waters” that provide the inspiration for his paintings.
The challenge of bringing the zen-like experience of “being at one with nature” into the studio and putting it on canvas is heightened by the artist’s concern for the future of these rivers.
“In the last 35 years I’ve been fishing and painting, I’ve seen a change in the environment. I want to paint these scenes because I feel they are disappearing in front of me.”
– Adriano Manocchia, painter, In Search of Magical Waters
The Magical Waters pilot was filmed in and around Cambridge and the Battenkill River in New York as well as locations in neighboring Vermont.
Check out the teaser from our fundraising campaign.
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Associate Producer Sponsor
Melvin Pitts
Special Thanks Sponsors
Nancy Krauss
Gene Larson
William Leary
Cathy & Gary Lipson
Renee LaVerne Rose
Jim McLaughlin
Richard & Dari Norman
Leslie Parke
The Sporting Gallery
Anne Sutherland
Terry Teitelbaum Fine Art
Hannie & Gyula Varosy
Roger & Letitia Wyatt
Additional Sponsors
Heather Bellanca • Athena Burke • Elizabeth Gambee Osborne • Bob Groskin • Agnes Kovalosky • Doris Mantion • Kitty Matte • Mark Munzert • Rebecca Sadlon • Bill Tomiello • Mary Ward
MEET OUR PRODUCTION TEAM:
IN SEARCH OF MAGICAL WATERS
Serena Kovalosky
Founder & Producer, Artful Vagabond Productions
Producer, Director and Writer for Magical Waters
Serena Kovalosky spent 18 years in the travel industry before trading her well-worn suitcases for an artist’s loft in Montreal to become a professional sculptor.
She returned to the U.S., bringing her project management talents and skills to the art world – curating, producing and marketing art exhibitions and cultural projects. She co-founded a juried biennial that has brought well over a quarter of a million dollars in art revenue and tourism to rural upstate New York.
Serena Kovalosky originally founded Artful Vagabond in 2009 as an art and travel blog and has interviewed hundreds of artists from around the world, including pop culture icon Angie Bowie.
In the film world, Kovalosky has worked on the film crew of Life on the Run, an innovative independent film created and directed by Roger Wyatt that asks the question, “Why Do Art?” where she filmed celebrity comedian Dion Flynn and other behind-the-scenes footage.
Kovalosky has appeared in front of the camera on BBC Television’s travel program, Holiday, Canada’s Life Channel (TV), Quebec’s Canal Vie (TV) and numerous public access productions.
Debra A. Pearlman
Pearl Productions
Consulting Producer for Magical Waters
Debra A. Pearlman is an award-winning producer with over 30 years of experience producing, directing and editing film and television projects. She has worked with all the major networks and many cable and international broadcasters, including National Geographic, A&E, Discovery Channel, Natural History New Zealand, NHK Japan and the BBC.
Her production company is based in Baltimore, Maryland where she just completed working on a live, streaming broadcast for Discovery multiplatform content and live TV.
Debra Pearlman brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production to the Magical Waters project.
Tracy Nichole Cring
Editor for Magical Waters
Award-winning editor Tracy Nichole Cring brings 20 years of experience to the Magical Waters project. She’s edited 40 films, documentaries and television series throughout her career, including The Neighborhood That Disappeared which premiered on PBS to record-breaking fundraising and audience viewership and the award-winning Danseur, a documentary about professional male dancers and bullying which was featured on NBC Nightly News.
One of her current projects is John Holser’s Who Killed Hazel Drew? a documentary based on the unsolved murder mystery that had inspired the 90s hit television series, Twin Peaks.
Tracy Cring’s investigative mind and editing skills combine with her talent for “mothering” projects to their greatest potential. She is looking forward to bringing her talents and storytelling expertise to the Magical Waters project.
Hannah DeGarmo
Editor for Magical Waters
Hannah DeGarmo is a filmmaker and film editor in Brooklyn, New York who brings her expertise in art and art history to the Magical Waters editing team. She is also the Manager of Digital Communications at Art21.
Her recent film credits include three mini documentary series on arts and culture in upstate New York produced by the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library: From the Archives, Lake George on the Water (produced as the local component of an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution) and Battenkill Inspired (supported by Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership) where she interviewed and filmed a dozen visual artists for the series. She is currently working on a documentary art film about environmental conservation in Puerto Rico.
Hannah DeGarmo’s talent and passion for storytelling are inspired by details of the everyday, painstakingly enhanced and admired on museum walls and wound into surface of our familiar lives as she strives to share the brilliance of those bits and pieces through her work.
Kenny Hopkins
Kenneth Cooper Films
Lead Camera, Cinematography and Audio for Magical Waters
Kenny Hopkins has been involved in various aspects of video production for over 10 years. He currently owns Kenneth Cooper Films, a wedding and event cinematography company based in New York. He regularly travels worldwide to produce wedding films, business retreat films and commercial work for large and small-scale companies.
Kenny Hopkins brings his unique and artful imagery and talent for visual storytelling to the Artful Vagabond Productions project. His philosophy is simple: create a beautiful story.
Jim McLaughlin
McLaughlin Photography
Lighting, Set Manager, Camera and Still Photography for Magical Waters
Jim McLaughlin is well-known throughout upstate New York as a professional photographer. For over 30 years he has made people, places and products look great, from fine art at the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls to sports celebrities Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan at the World Figure Skating Tour.
Jim McLaughlin brings his exceptional talent for composition, lighting and creative filming to the Magical Waters film project, as well as exploring unconventional shots and assisting in directing the on-camera talent. He also photographed behind-the-scenes stills and promotional shots for the film’s publicity.
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