Lorenzo DeStefano — Shedding Light On Undiscovered Modes Of Living

Lorenzo DeStefano was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 17, 1952. While still in high school, he began working as a location scout for local commercial production companies and apprenticed to several independent filmmakers based in Hawai’i. 

At the same time, he was exploring his creative process as a teenage street photographer in Honolulu, chronicling the diverse, multicultural island life where he grew up. DeStefano’s other photography credits include his traveling exhibition, “Cubanos-Island Portraits – 1993-1998”, which has been shown extensively in Cuba as well as in New York, Chicago, London, Havana, Los Angeles, and Vancouver and is part of the Permanent Collection of MOLAA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California. 

His photographs have also been licensed for Print, CDs, TV & Film, including for HBO’s “Six Feet Under” and the Warner Brothers film “Queen of the Damned .”In 1973, he moved to Carmel, California, where he expanded his visual explorations to making short films and learning more about filmmaking. During this time, he was accepted into Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara but decided to change from still photography to filmmaking, focusing on a career in film editing.

Because of his wide range of expertise, he is often mentioned as a filmmaker, playwright, fiction & non-fiction author, and fine-art photographer. For a fresh perspective on undiscovered lives and modes of living, achievement, and survival, DeStefano creates content that brings that topic out of the dark to the naked human eye.

Shedding light on stories being ignored by traditional media means that we live in a society where many norms are being followed. More people have never asked about these because, back then, it was not pleasant to ask questions. Even if someone had a good point, they still were not allowed. This thought is another norm that I had to break to start breaking other norms after it.

In that way, DeStefano kept showing people the harsh reality of our surroundings that needed to change. His positive impact on the audience kept him going, and he continued giving more good examples to reflect on our society. 

Some of the most appreciated work of DeStefano includes: 

DeStefano’s screenplays include “Shipment Day,” “The Diarist”, “Lads”, “Deep Inside”, 

“Cropper’s Cabin,” from the novel by Jim Thompson, “Appointment in Samarra,” from the novel by John O’Hara, “Waiting for Nothing,” from the novel by Tom Kromer, and “Creeps,” from the play by David E. Freeman.

Narrative films as writer/producer include “The Diarist,” a Limited Series based on “The Inman Diary,” published by Harvard University Press, and “House Boy,” a Limited Series adapted from his novel

His feature documentaries as producer/director include “Talmage Farlow,” a portrait of the American jazz guitarist, “Los Zafiros-Music From The Edge Of Time,” about the Beatles of 1960s Cuba, and “Hearing is Believing,” about the gifted young musician and 

composer, Rachel Flowers.

DeStefano’s plays include “Shipment Day,” “Stairway To The Stars,” “Providence,” and 

“Camera Obscura.”

DeStefano’s career in motion picture film editing includes “The Blue Lagoon,” “Making Love,” “That Championship Season,” “Dreamscape,” “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Thrashin’,” “Winners Take All,” “The Killing Time,” and “Gingerale Afternoon .”He was Supervising Film Editor, Producer, and Director during the 4-season/83-episode run of the acclaimed, Emmy-winning ABC/Warner Brothers drama series, “Life Goes On.”

Photography credits include “Rest Homes Hawai’i,” “Leahi Hospital – Children’s Ward,” “Six Feet Under,” and “Queen of the Damned .”His traveling exhibition, “Cubanos-Island Portraits 1993-1998”, shown extensively in Cuba, New York, Chicago, London, Havana, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, is in the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, and was acquired in 2022 by the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami.

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