It is one of the most Awarded Indie Film of the Year! It is Jackpot ....Meet Joseph Monachino

An Exclusive Sit-Down Interview with

Joseph Monachino: Indie Film Maverick

 

Joseph Monachino, a name now synonymous with independent cinematic brilliance, has captured the 2025 Alla Salute Magazine Award of Excellence for his groundbreaking film, 'Jackpot.' We had the immense privilege of sitting down with him to discuss his journey, his award-winning film, and his vision for the future of independent cinema.

 

The Journey Behind 'Jackpot'

The Spark of 'Jackpot': Joseph, congratulations on your monumental win! Could you share the genesis of 'Jackpot'? What was the initial idea or inspiration that led you to create this particular story?

I am a member of the Mississauga Writers Group. The group was given a

prompt to write a short story called “The Torn Page”. My original story had

the main character missing collecting the lottery jackpot winnings a day

after the one-year deadline had passed. Then, it evolved into the script for

the award-winning film.

CRAFTING THE NARRATIVE

I didn’t direct the film. But as a writer, I wanted to explore the theme of

“greed” and what could happen when the ugly and dark side of “greed”

becomes prevalent, like it does at the end of the film.

BRINGING “JACKPOT!” TO LIFE

“Jackpot!” was shot in a few locations in Toronto. Some key decisions were

choosing locations that had an atmosphere of appropriate lighting. Also,

having those locations available for the shooting days required to shoot the

film.

THE INDIE FILM MAKING HUSTLE

Significant challenges included finding a director with a production

company to get interested in producing it. It ended up being Rebecca

Lamure of Bex-Lam Productions. Finding the right cast of actors to play

the characters was the next challenge that worked out well. We overcame

through Facebook networking and a meticulous audition process.

AWARDS, AUTHORSHIP, AND ASPIRATIONS

Winning awards, which include 3 for “Jackpot!”, gives the film merit. The

awards legitimize the film as being a quality production because it is

chosen as best film over many contenders. The “Jackpot!” accolades have

helped me to develop my next project, “Eve’s Designation”, into getting it

produced into a short film in the near future.

A WRITERS PERSPECTIVE

This industry is a “tough nut to crack”. Therefore, I would advise aspiring

screenwriters and indie filmmakers to be persistent and patient in getting

their projects produced. Definitely, engage in plenty of online and in-

person networking with those in the industry.

THE ALLA SALUTE MOMENT

Winning the Alla Salute Magazine Award, for me personally, is great

satisfaction. In the sense that my efforts to produce short films are being

acclaimed and appreciated by industry insiders and the general public.

Professionally, it serves as a catalyst and motivation to make future

projects so that they can potentially experience getting acclaim and

awards, also.

WHAT’S NEXT ON THE HORIZON

Yes, I do have another project in the works. It is called “Eve’s Designation.”

It involves brain chip implantation in the year 2080. My production team is

on its way to starting filming, perhaps in October.

THE POWER OF CINEMA

In today’s media landscape, the enduring importance of independent

Filmmaking is that there are vast opportunities to network and get noticed

mainly because of the internet. It is still as hard as ever to get recognized,

But networking on the internet and in person aids more than ever to get

projects produced into short and feature-length films.

CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE

I hope that audiences find my film, “Jackpot!” riveting. That way, they can

provoke discussion about it with friends and family, so that when my next

project, “Eve’s Designation”, is released, they will be interested in it

because they expect it to be riveting, too, which will definitely be the case.

A MESSAGE TO THE FANS

I would like to thank my dedicated fans for helping me receive this

award. I say that from the bottom of my heart because, without them, all

this would not have been possible.

1. Can you share any details about your upcoming project? What

inspired you to write this story, and what themes do you hope to

explore?

My upcoming project is entitled: “Eve’s Designation”. What inspired me to

write this story is that I expanded on an outline by my co-writer I met at a

networking event. She suggested writing a story about a human who has

infinite knowledge. I suggested that this human possesses this knowledge

through a brain chip implanted in her brain. I hope to explore the theme of

a person using his or her extraordinary powers to serve mankind constructively.

2. With the success of “Jackpot,” what elements do you think are

essential for a successful sequel? How do you plan to evolve

the story and characters in a potential follow-up?

The elements of “Jackpot!” that are essential for a successful sequel are

the exploration of how greed can overpower human beings to become

irrational in their actions and thinking. I plan to evolve the story by having

3. A current or new character obtaining the winning lottery ticket and having

him or her experience an ill-fated situation before collecting the jackpot

prize.

4. Are there any other genres or themes you’re excited to explore

in your future indie films? What can audiences expect from your

upcoming works?

Other themes I plan to explore in my future indie films are travelling through

space in the current time and saltwater purification that can provide clean

drinking water for millions of people who don’t have it. Audiences can

expect stories that evoke provocative conversation about the improvement

of the quality of our lives.

5. Please include your website link:

www.jackpot2023.wordpress.com

6. Your movie viewing link:

www.Facebook.com/Jackpot2023film 

Joe Monachino’s Indie Film Hits the Jackpot

By Timothy Spearman

Joseph A. Monachino’s film “Jackpot” appears to have hit the jackpot with multiple awards. Joe has captured Toronto workplace life with a remarkable degree of verisimilitude, which can only come from firsthand experience. Even in his cameo role as convenience store owner Guido (Joe Monachino), screenwriter and Executive Producer Monachino seems to know the part as though he has lived it. The film clearly demonstrates that its creator has been a jack of all trades, allowing him to infuse his film with a remarkable degree of realism.

The film opens with Ralph (Jordan Andrez) suffering a series of screamingly agonizing headaches, probably attributable to a brain tumour. He is also anxious about bills, while his co-workers are worried about inflation and the rising cost of basic amenities. What is more real than that in today’s gloomy economic circumstances? When Ralph shows Wanda (Katherine Halievski) a lottery ticket in the convenience store, he has to defend his purchase when she pooh-poohs it.  He hatches a scheme in which he and his co-workers all buy twenty lottery tickets in a pool, in order to boost their chances of winning.

When the weekend passes and none of them wins, they learn that the winner has not yet come forward. Having suffered a car accident, Horrace (Joseph Simon) has been out of commission for a week as the forklift operator at work. When Ralph is assigned to pick Horrace up following his discharge from the hospital, Ralph puts two and two together at Horrace’s home. When Horrace mentions that his hospitalization has prevented him from checking his lottery ticket, the light bulb goes off in Ralph’s head, as he guesses this might explain the unclaimed jackpot prize. When Horrace asks Ralph to retrieve his tickets, Ralph substitutes his losing tickets for Horrace’s, and returns to the kitchen to give Horrace what the latter assumes are his roll of lottery tickets. In a case of dramatic irony, Wanda  had foreshadowed this by declaring she will have no time for squabbles and greed over the winning ticket.

Having no more use for Horrace’s company, Ralph hastily departs. After driving only a short distance, we hear his car squeal out of control and crash. The final frame is of Ralph semi-reclined at the wheel, either unconscious or dead. In another instance of dramatic irony and foreshadowing, Wanda offers to drive Ralph to the auto mechanic to retrieve his car. Wanda claims the good deed will bring her good karma, which foreshadows the bad karma incurred by Ralph in the final scene. Horrace, usually spelled ‘Horus’, is the Egyptian god of healing and protection. While Horrace is healing, he can offer neither spiritual protection nor healing to Ralph, who has betrayed his trust. Ironically, he claims at one point to be in Ralph’s debt for driving him home from the hospital, but we come to see the truth of this claim in Ralph’s lottery ticket swap.

Monachino’s film leaves us hanging, which is probably one of the reasons for its award-winning reception. We don’t know if Horrace held the winning ticket, and we don’t know if Ralph will live or die at the end. So the spoiler of this review is that there is no spoiler. Who knows what will happen, which is a strong motivation for Monachino to write a sequel. Why not Joe? What have you got to lose? You might even hit the jackpot twice.