Lisa Phillips Visca has dreamed of having one of her screenplays turned into a film. She recently had this chance with “The Italians.”    It made its debut at the Los Angeles Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest on Monday, March 4. It also showed at the Cinequest Film Fest in San Jose on Saturday, March 9. Later in the year, the creative team has plans to take the film to theaters and/or streaming services. 

“The Italians” tells the story of a typical Italian American family meeting their son’s fiancée. It is an emotionally charged but humorous film centered around familial love, forgiveness and Italian food. Phillips Visca, who wrote and co-produced the film, grew up in an Italian/Greek family. The characters in the film are a blend of different people in her life. She describes the film as being a cross between “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”