Latest news with #NicholasCelozzi
CBC
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
JFK assassination movie seen through the lens of an Italian-American mob wraps filming in Winnipeg
Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph [Pepe] Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history. After decades of film and television portrayals of Sam Giancana, Celozzi is reconceptualizing the 1963 shooting of Kennedy with a focus on the major players in the Chicago Outfit, a powerful Italian-American criminal organization. For Celozzi, his latest screenwriting endeavour is about more than telling another assassination story. It's about family. "My family, my cousins, really got tired of people using our name, monetizing our name and telling a fake story," Celozzi said in an interview. "These aren't fictional people ... they're real people. They're vulnerable, they have nerves, they make mistakes, they are not quite sure about things." Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago Outfit in the 1950s and 1960s, was widely known for his ties to the Kennedy family. He was gunned down in his home in 1975, and his killing remains unsolved. Many have speculated the mob group also played a role in Kennedy's assassination, and this is explored in Celozzi's November 1963, which began filming in Winnipeg this summer. Relying on Pepe Giancana's stories, Celozzi focuses on the 48 hours leading up to the assassination. Giancana, a fill-in driver for his brother, had been a fly on the wall in the days leading up to the assassination, said Celozzi, who is also one of the producers on the independent film. Many conversations led to what Celozzi calls the "Pepe chronicles," a series of stories detailing the family's Mob ties. "I was always aware of who they were. These aren't things that everybody just kind of goes home and talks about. It's an awareness. It's kind of a strange reality that you're born into," said Celozzi. Pepe Giancana died in the mid-'90s, leaving his stories with Celozzi. Drive for honesty The writer said he knew he wanted to do something to honour his family's history without degrading them to caricatures often found in Mob flicks. So he began working with Sam Giancana's daughter Bonnie Giancana to craft the script. Over the course of several years and rewrites, Celozzi said they worked to ensure every detail was accurate. "I needed to keep that honest with the story Pepe gave me, or why do it at all? If I wasn't going to be truthful to what he gave me, there was no purpose in me doing it," said Celozzi. He brought veteran Canadian producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment on board to produce the movie, which wrapped shooting in Winnipeg last week and goes into post-production in Saskatchewan. "I don't think the family's proud of what happened ... it was important for them to tell the truth before they die," DeWalt said. The cast includes John Travolta, Dermot Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin and is directed by Academy Award nominated English filmmaker Roland Joffe. When it came time to pick a location that could mimic 1960s Chicago and the landmark Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where Kennedy was killed, producers chose Winnipeg over other major cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans in part because of its Exchange District neighbourhood. Producers decided Winnipeg was a perfect stand-in for the Windy City. Dealey Plaza, and the famous Grassy Knoll, was built from scratch at Birds Hill Provincial Park, northeast of Winnipeg. The film features 1,500 extras and 75 to 80 period cars to accurately portray the time period. DeWalt said he expects viewers will be blown away by the film's ability to bring a new level of authenticity and validity to the moment in history. "People will walk out of the theatre with their own impressions about what it all means," he said. "At the end of the day, at least we've given them the tools for one of these things that's been told, and they can make their own impressions in terms of how they feel about it." When asked if he thinks the film might ruffle feathers with historians, governments or Mob members, Celozzi said that's not his goal.
CTV News
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘They're real people': Mob focus of JFK assassination flick filmed in Winnipeg
A film crew works on the set of "November 1963" in Winnipeg in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Allen Fraser/November 1963 (Mandatory Credit) WINNIPEG — Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history. After decades of film and television portrayals of Sam Giancana, Celozzi is reconceptualizing the 1963 shooting of Kennedy with a focus on the major players in the Chicago Outfit, a powerful Italian-American criminal organization. For Celozzi, his latest screenwriting endeavour is about more than telling another assassination story. It's about family. 'My family, my cousins, really got tired of people using our name, monetizing our name and telling a fake story,' Celozzi said in an interview. 'These aren't fictional people ... they're real people. They're vulnerable, they have nerves, they make mistakes, they are not quite sure about things.' Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago Outfit in the 1950s and 1960s, was widely known for his ties to the Kennedy family. He was gunned down in his home in 1975, and his killing remains unsolved. Many have speculated the Mob group also played a role in Kennedy's assassination, and this is explored in Celozzi's 'November 1963,' which began filming in Winnipeg this summer. Relying on Pepe Giancana's stories, Celozzi focuses on the 48 hours leading up to the assassination. Giancana, a fill-in driver for his brother, had been a fly on the wall in the days leading up to the assassination, said Celozzi, who is also one of the producers on the independent film. Many conversations led to what Celozzi calls the 'Pepe chronicles,' a series of stories detailing the family's Mob ties. 'I was always aware of who they were. These aren't things that everybody just kind of goes home and talks about. It's an awareness. It's kind of a strange reality that you're born into,' said Celozzi. Pepe Giancana died in the mid-'90s, leaving his stories with Celozzi. The writer said he knew he wanted to do something to honour his family's history without degrading them to caricatures often found in Mob flicks. So he began working with Sam Giancana's daughter Bonnie Giancana to craft the script. Over the course of several years and rewrites, Celozzi said they worked to ensure every detail was accurate. 'I needed to keep that honest with the story Pepe gave me, or why do it at all? If I wasn't going to be truthful to what he gave me, there was no purpose in me doing it,' said Celozzi. He brought veteran Canadian producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment on board to produce the movie, which wrapped shooting in Winnipeg last week and goes into post-production in Saskatchewan. 'I don't think the family's proud of what happened ... it was important for them to tell the truth before they die,' DeWalt said. The cast includes John Travolta, Dermot Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin and is directed by Academy Award nominated English filmmaker Roland Joffé. When it came time to pick a location that could mimic 1960s Chicago and the landmark Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where Kennedy was killed, producers chose Winnipeg over other major cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans in part because of its Exchange District neighbourhood. Producers decided Winnipeg was a perfect stand-in for the Windy City. Dealey Plaza, and the famous Grassy Knoll, was built from scratch at Birds Hill Provincial Park, northeast of Winnipeg. The film features 1,500 extras and 75 to 80 period cars to accurately portray the time period. DeWalt said he expects viewers will be blown away by the film's ability to bring a new level of authenticity and validity to the moment in history. 'People will walk out of the theatre with their own impressions about what it all means,' he said. 'At the end of the day, at least we've given them the tools for one of these things that's been told, and they can make their own impressions in terms of how they feel about it.' When asked if he thinks the film might ruffle feathers with historians, governments or Mob members, Celozzi said that's not his goal. 'What I'm doing is just putting in that missing piece, not glamorizing, just writing it.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'They're real people': Mob focus of JFK assassination flick filmed in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history. After decades of film and television portrayals of Sam Giancana, Celozzi is reconceptualizing the 1963 shooting of Kennedy with a focus on the major players in the Chicago Outfit, a powerful Italian-American criminal organization. For Celozzi, his latest screenwriting endeavour is about more than telling another assassination story. It's about family. "My family, my cousins, really got tired of people using our name, monetizing our name and telling a fake story," Celozzi said in an interview. "These aren't fictional people ... they're real people. They're vulnerable, they have nerves, they make mistakes, they are not quite sure about things." Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago Outfit in the 1950s and 1960s, was widely known for his ties to the Kennedy family. He was gunned down in his home in 1975, and his killing remains unsolved. Many have speculated the Mob group also played a role in Kennedy's assassination, and this is explored in Celozzi's "November 1963," which began filming in Winnipeg this summer. Relying on Pepe Giancana's stories, Celozzi focuses on the 48 hours leading up to the assassination. Giancana, a fill-in driver for his brother, had been a fly on the wall in the days leading up to the assassination, said Celozzi, who is also one of the producers on the independent film. Many conversations led to what Celozzi calls the "Pepe chronicles," a series of stories detailing the family's Mob ties. "I was always aware of who they were. These aren't things that everybody just kind of goes home and talks about. It's an awareness. It's kind of a strange reality that you're born into," said Celozzi. Pepe Giancana died in the mid-'90s, leaving his stories with Celozzi. The writer said he knew he wanted to do something to honour his family's history without degrading them to caricatures often found in Mob flicks. So he began working with Sam Giancana's daughter Bonnie Giancana to craft the script. Over the course of several years and rewrites, Celozzi said they worked to ensure every detail was accurate. "I needed to keep that honest with the story Pepe gave me, or why do it at all? If I wasn't going to be truthful to what he gave me, there was no purpose in me doing it," said Celozzi. He brought veteran Canadian producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment on board to produce the movie, which wrapped shooting in Winnipeg last week and goes into post-production in Saskatchewan. "I don't think the family's proud of what happened ... it was important for them to tell the truth before they die," DeWalt said. The cast includes John Travolta, Dermot Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin and is directed by Academy Award nominated English filmmaker Roland Joffé. When it came time to pick a location that could mimic 1960s Chicago and the landmark Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where Kennedy was killed, producers chose Winnipeg over other major cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans in part because of its Exchange District neighbourhood. Producers decided Winnipeg was a perfect stand-in for the Windy City. Dealey Plaza, and the famous Grassy Knoll, was built from scratch at Birds Hill Provincial Park, northeast of Winnipeg. The film features 1,500 extras and 75 to 80 period cars to accurately portray the time period. DeWalt said he expects viewers will be blown away by the film's ability to bring a new level of authenticity and validity to the moment in history. "People will walk out of the theatre with their own impressions about what it all means," he said. "At the end of the day, at least we've given them the tools for one of these things that's been told, and they can make their own impressions in terms of how they feel about it." When asked if he thinks the film might ruffle feathers with historians, governments or Mob members, Celozzi said that's not his goal. "What I'm doing is just putting in that missing piece, not glamorizing, just writing it." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Toronto Star
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
‘They're real people': Mob focus of JFK assassination flick filmed in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG - Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘This is really the untold true story': A behind the scenes look on the set of November 1963
Cast and crew prepare to film another take in front of their Texas School Book Depository set for production of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) On the set of November 1963, screenwriter and producer Nicholas Celozzi watches another film take unfold. 'What we're doing here today is this is right after the assassination of John F. Kennedy,' Celozzi said. '(Lee Harvey) Oswald, I don't want to give too much away, but I think he knows at this point he's being set up.' It's all business on the set of a crime thriller that has chosen Winnipeg as its primary filming location. Behind the scenes shot of November 1963 A behind the scenes look before another take is recorded on the set of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Celozzi's production is a retelling of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the eyes of brothers Joseph 'Pepe' Giancana and his brother Sam Giancana. They ran the Chicago Outfit at the time, and Sam Giancana was a notorious mob boss. For Celozzi, it's as much a family story as a historical account. 'They were my uncles, and Pepe had given me this story,' he said. 'This was really the introspective point of view of what went on, the underbelly that pulled this off.' John Travolta November 1963 stars John Travolta and Mandy Patinkin among others. Here is Travolta in a photo from 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The movie stars John Travolta and Mandy Patinkin, among others. Celozzi said the film is inspired by conversations he had with his uncle 'Pepe' in the '90s. 'I just became very close to Pepe all my life. I guess I can say it as a young kid, you know, he was in control of doing all the bookmaking on the West Side of Chicago,' he said. 'He used to hang out at my dad's dealership and just think, that's all day long. As I got involved in the film business, he felt very comfortable. One day he actually said to me, he goes, 'Look, not right now, but later on I'm going to tell you what actually took place.'' Nicholas Celozzi on set of November 1963 Nicholas Celozzi (left) takes time to talk to members on the set of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Celozzi said one person was tasked with driving Sam Giancana while conducting business in Dallas. 'Sam asked Pepe, 'Would you do me a favour and drive me around for a couple of days?'' he said. 'Pepe actually is with Sam during those days. He was a fly on the wall. This basically is his perspective of what he saw and heard.' Initially Celozzi wanted to shoot the movie in the Chicago suburbs. A conversation with his producing partner Kevin DeWalt brought him to Winnipeg for the first time. He was soon convinced the city would be a great fit to film. 'He said to me, 'You have to come up here, there's a city here, Winnipeg,'' Celozzi said. 'It doubles for Chicago sometimes, and I think there's some wonderful locations that we can shoot (as) Dallas. The hospitality Winnipeg has shown us has been really second to none.' Monitors on set of November 1963 A behind the scenes look at the monitors used for the production of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Adam Smoluk, executive director of Film Training Manitoba, said it's wonderful to see film productions taking place all over the province this summer. 'We're very fortunate at Film Training Manitoba, because we provide training for a lot of the professionals that work within the film and television industry,' Smoluk said. 'When there are productions going on, that means there's that much more training that's needed. We see so much growth within our industry when these types of productions are happening.' Extras on set of November 1963 Dozens of people served as extras on the set wearing period attire from the 1960s on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Based on the time period it's set in, Celozzi said the film will have the tone and style of The Godfather and he has enjoyed working with the Academy Award-nominated director Roland Joffe as Joffe directs the production. Working with Travolta and the rest of the cast has also been a pleasure based on the cast's appreciation of the story at hand. 'What they've all said to me is they've really appreciated the time I've taken with the subtext of the characters,' Celozzi said. This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file) This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file) Kennedy was killed 62 years ago, but Celozzi said the history is still top of mind. He said the recently released CIA documents will spark interest in his film. 'People are still fascinated because they know something doesn't seem right,' Celozzi said. 'Right now it's very topical because the people that I wrote about are now appearing in all of it.' Celozzi said they are hopeful to have the film released in 2026.
