Stefano Da Frè

Born in Italy, Da Frè initially received training from the Ryerson Theatre School before attending the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.[6][1][7]

After graduating, Da Frè began his career with a role in Taking Woodstock, a film directed by Ang Lee, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[1][8][9] Later that year, Da Frè appeared in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.[8] Da Frè subsequently appeared in TV series including Blue Bloods, One Bad Choice, Pandora's Box: Unleashing Evil.[1]

In 2009, Da Frè was elected as a member of the selection committee for the Montreal International Film Festival, and has been an active member ever since.[1]

In 2018, Da Frè's documentary, The Girl Who Cannot Speak, debuted, exploring five women's sexual abuse narratives amidst the MeToo movement.[10][11] Later that year, it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Meet The Press Film Festival in Washington, D.C., a festival co-hosted with the American Film Institute.[12][13] The film was also selected for screening at St. Louis International Film Festival and the Saguenay International Short Film Festival in 2019.[14][10]

In 2020, Da Frè directed and produced The Day I Had to Grow Up, a documentary on U.S. youth activism addressing issues such as gun violence and climate change.[15][16][17] The film was featured at the 2021 St. Louis International Film Festival and won the Jury Prize at Switzerland International Film Festival.[18][19] The documentary also won the FFTG Spirit Award in 2021.[20] In the same year, Da Frè co-directed another film titled The Moon in Deep Winter with Laura Pellegrini.[21] Subsequently, the film was screened twice at the Cannes Film Festival.[21] It also received the Best Screenplay Award at the Chelsea Film Festival in New York.[21]

In December 2022, Da Frè directed a documentary, Stolen Dough, with Laura Pellegrini as producer.[22][23] The film explores the battle between Italian-American inventor Anthony Mongiello and Pizza Hut over the patent for stuffed crust pizza.[22][23] The documentary, which received the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Grant, is scheduled to air on the Disney Channel in 2023.[22] In July 2023, the documentary won the Best Documentary Award at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival in Athens, Greece.[24]

In July 2023, Da Frè advocated in support of the SAG-AFTRA union strike against AMPTP Producers.[25]

On January 3, 2022, Broadway actress Sierra Boggess announced her engagement to Da Frè.[8][26] The couple were married at the Chateau Coindre Hall on Long Island, New York on April 23, 2023.[27][28]

• 2018: Best Screenplay Award for The Moon in Deep Winter at the Chelsea Film Festival[30]
• 2021: FFTG Spirit Award for The Day I Had To Grow Up[32]
• 2023: Best Documentary Award for Stolen Dough at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival[24]