Former Medford Resident Premieres Movie

Two stubborn, Italian-American cousins walk into a restaurant…insert the Red Sox, Yankees, and a sexy, hot-tempered waitress… and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Boston native vies for laughs with his debut comedy short.

Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the miraculous 2004 Red Sox comeback, North End native Dino Brogna debuted his comedic short film, “27”, on June 22 at the Irish American Club in Malden.

While filming in Boston, Brogna sat for an interview with Red Sox Hall of Famer and President of Red Sox Nation, Jerry Remy. He had nothing but praise for the film, saying, “I love the passion! New York has won its share, but this one goes to Boston!” Remy continued, “Red Sox Nation will eat 27 up.”

“27”, set in the North End, is an upbeat comedy about two Italian-American cousins who grew up 250 miles apart, sharing a love for baseball. One a Yankees fan, the other a Red Sox fan, they reluctantly meet for a “friend- ly” dinner. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Brogna has written, directed, edited and produced television and web promos for some of the largest non-profit organizations in the world. He spent five years at TV Guide as a Senior Writer and producer and won national awards for his writing and directing promos for red carpet coverage for the Emmy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards. In 2011, following critical acclaim for his national campaign promoting the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens and the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Brogna decided to pursue his dream to write and produce “27”.

“When I started writing the script, I knew there wasn’t another story I wanted to tell more than coming from a passionate Italian family, being a proud Bostonian and loving the Red Sox”.

Brogna spent $8,000 of his own money to get “27” as far into the production process as he could, then reached out to friends and family through the crowd funding website indiegogo.com and successfully raised the $15,000 needed to get the 25 minute movie filmed. “27” exceeded expectations and averaged $119 per donor.

Dino Brogna with actors Candice Barley and Damon Pampolina.

Brogna with Ann Marie and Mike Cugno.

– Information from Dino Brogna. Photos from Ann Marie Cugno.