filmmaker
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
, writer and producer in the horror/thriller genre. He has directed seven feature films through Cerrito Productions. His film '' Human Hibachi'' was released in 2020 and won Best Feature film at New Jersey Horror Con and was nominated for Best FX.
Early life
Mario was born in South Philadelphia and raised in
Audubon, New Jersey
Audubon is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 8,819,Italian American. He lived in
Woodstown, New Jersey
Woodstown is a borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 3,505,Woodstown High School
Woodstown High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Woodstown and Pilesgrove Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary scho ...
in 2002. He played Division II baseball at
Rowan College at Burlington County
Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) is a public community college in Burlington County, New Jersey. Main facilities are located in Mount Laurel with other campuses in Mount Holly, Willingboro and Joint Base.
History
Founded as Burli ...
from 2003 to 2004.
Film production
Cerrito wrote, produced and directed his first feature film, '' Deadly Gamble,'' in 2015. it was made on a $10,000 budget and was signed to
Gregory Hatanaka
Gregory Hatanaka is an American independent filmmaker and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Hatanaka is the founder of film distribution and production company Cinema Epoch and Cineridge Entertainment. He first became i ...
's distribution company Cinema Epoch. The film was released through national cable outlets in 2015.
Cerrito also wrote, produced and directed '' Human Hibachi'' (2019), a horror movie. Shot solely on an iPhone, the movie was initially deemed too extreme for a release to Amazon Prime and was released to its own website instead. At the
New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival
New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival is a semi-annual horror film and memorabilia fan convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Edison, New Jersey, United States since 2017. It focuses on guest panels, where fans can meet celebrity actor ...
in 2021 it was nominated for Best FX and Best Feature film, winning the latter. The film was also an official selection of Philadelphia Independent Film Festival and signed to
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...
for release.
Cerrito directed ''The Listing'' with a $25,000 budget. It won best feature film at the 2019 HNN Film Festival. The film features horror actress Jessica Cameron. The movie was represented at
Marché du Film
The ''Marché du Film'' (french for "Film Market") is one of the largest film markets in the world.Marc ...
, the business counterpart to the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
.
''Human Hibachi 2'', made by Cerrito in the summer of 2021, stars Julie Chapin, Frank Volpe, Tammy Jean among others. The movie premiered in July 2022 in Philadelphia. It went on to win best feature film at New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival in Atlantic City.
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...
picked the movie up for worldwide release.
Cerrito wrote and produced ''The House in the Pines'' featuring Mick Strawn as Director and Joe Nicolo from
Butcher Bros.
The Butcher Bros. is an American music production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia in the mid-to-late '80s. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of ban ...
as composer.
Cerrito provided the main film location for the horror film ''A Place in Hell''. The film won best home grown horror feature film at the 2016
Garden State Film Festival
The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring.
The festival was founded in 2002 in Sea Girt, New Jersey by ...
. The movie was released by
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television se ...
to multiple Video On Demand platforms.
He has also produced ''Variety'' (2015), ''Arisen I SAW'' (2016), ''The Philly Offensive'' (2016), ''Chase Street'' (2016), and ''Right Before Your Eyes'' (2017), among others.
TV appearances
Cerrito and his family were featured on the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
's reality show '' Ghost Nation''. Paranormal investigator
Jason Hawes
Jason Conrad Hawes (born December 27, 1971) is an American plumber and the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers of Syfy's '' Ghost Hunters'', w ...
and his crew visited Cerrito's house and the program aired in October 2019. The episode was titled, "The Novelist's Nightmare."
He also had a minor role in the series ''Chase Street'', which was featured on Amazon Prime.
Filmography
Personal life
Cerrito was invited to speak to the communication students about filmmaking at his alma mater Woodstown High School in 2014.
In 2016, Cerrito visited a sick seven-year-old boy with
mitochondrial disease
Mitochondrial disease is a group of disorders caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the organelles that generate energy for the cell and are found in every cell of the human body except red blood cells. They convert the energy of ...
at Nemours Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. Cerrito gave the boy a signed poster of his movie and offered him a role in his upcoming film.
Cerrito teamed up with school resource officer Anthony Cicali of Riverside High School in 2018 to film a PSA video titled #DrinkDriveDie for their students. The video showed the dangers of drinking and driving in dramatic fashion to help kids make better decisions. The film debuted at the school's prom assembly.
In 2019 while at the
Borgata
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a hotel, casino, and spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The casino hotel features 2,798 rooms and is the largest hotel in New Jersey. Borga ...
Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, Cerrito witnessed a 25-year-old professional volleyball player Eric Zaun plunge to his death from the 29th floor.
He and his wife Charmaine have been residents of
Mantua Township, New Jersey
Mantua Township (pronounced man-CHEW-uh) is a township in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,235, an increase of 18 (+0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 15, ...