A Chance Encounter
Two Americans, one an aspiring poet and the other an established folk musician, cross paths in the scenic, coastal town of Taormina, Sicily. Their instant chemistry sparks collaboration, leading to an unexpected, week-long writer's retreat at a beautiful villa in the Sicilian countryside. As they immerse themselves in the local culture, they challenge each other to express their thorniest secrets, growing closer all the while.
A Chance Encounter, formerly known as Molto Bella, was filmed at the end of 2019 in Taormina, Sicily on a shoe-string budget and premiered virtually at the prestigious Heartland International Film Festival in October of 2020 where it won the Audience Choice Award. Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up the film for worldwide distribution and released the film On-Demand and in limited theaters in October of 2022.
The film stars Andrea von Kampen as Josie Day and Paul Petersen as Hal Flynn. Von Kampen wrote original songs for the movie and Paul Petersen wrote the original poetry for the film. Learn more→
Director’s Statement
“A Chance Encounter stands on the shoulders of several films that have inspired me over the years: Before Sunrise, Lost in Translation, Call Me By Your Name, Once and, in a roundabout way, Inside Llewyn Davis. One of my favorite experiences as an audience member is to watch two characters fall in love, but I was particularly fond of the intellectual friendship that developed in both the Before series and Lost in Translation. Having spent a bit of time traveling, I noticed that there is an inherit vulnerability in meeting someone new in an unfamiliar place.
There isn't a single kiss in this film and that's very much intentional. I wanted to blend the talents of my friends Andrea and Paul, music and poetry respectively, in a way that I thought might add a new spin on the music/romance genre. I've always been a big fan of Andrea's music and I hope this film helps more people hear it.” - Alexander Jeffery