SPRINGFIELD — John F. Kennedy. Ronald Reagan. Barack Obama. Three standout American men who won over Berliners, bigtime.
Now, you can add one more name to the list: Richard S. Ravosa, of Springfield.
Last month, Ravosa earned big at the Berlin Indie Film Festival when his film “Richie’s Hollywood Pitch” received an award for Best Documentary.
Ravosa, a city native who has worked as a lawyer in the city and across the state for 30 years, said that setting foot into the film industry has been like “flying blind.”
The documentary details Ravosa’s journey — from knocking on doors to seeking advice from Hollywood directors and producers — in an effort to get his play, “Mommy, Are We Poor?” to the big screen.
“‘Mommy, Are We Poor?’ was my passion project. I wrote it, produced it, got a great cast, and it ran for three weeks in the Greater Boston area,” Ravosa said. “And then on New Year’s Eve in December of 2022, I got what I thought was a prank phone call from someone who said they were a producer in Hollywood.”
Ravosa said that phone call connected him with Hollywood producers Danny Wolf and David Bertolino, who wanted to work with him to bring “Mommy, Are We Poor?” to the big screen.
The play follows a single mother of two, Chelsea. In her struggle to make ends meet for her children, Chelsea winds up being sexually harassed by her boss at work.
“It’s like so many of the clients I represent,” Ravosa said. “If you pass them on the sidewalk, you think everything’s fine because they’re going to work, but when they get home, the utilities are shut off, there’s no electricity, because the choice was either you’re going to buy food, pay the co-pay for the prescription, or you’re going to pay the electric bill.”
Actor and director Eric Roberts, left, is pictured with Richard Ravosa on the set of “Richie’s Hollywood Pitch.” (Photo courtesy of Richard Ravosa)Richard Ravosa
For Ravosa, what matters to him is not the notoriety that comes with winning at the festival, but the hope that getting the film out there will help other people see how important the message is, too.
“People are now interested in funding this project. I don’t know how much yet, but having won that award in Berlin, it’s given credibility to the cause of people like Chelsea,” he said. “My goal is to make it a national conversation that people should have a place to turn to when they’re struggling financially. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
“Richie’s Hollywood Pitch” will be distributed for streaming in the coming months. People can visit richieshollywoodpitch.com for further details on show times.
As to whether he’s succeeded in bringing “Mommy, Are We Poor?” to the big screen, Ravosa said he can’t reveal anything yet, but that he is “in talks” with studios about the possibility.
In the meantime, he is still focusing on his law clients.
“I’m not a Hollywood film guy. I don’t feel like that,” Ravosa said. “My day job as a lawyer is what I’m all about, helping one client at a time. Every day, I wake up helping people right here in Massachusetts, and that’s what I believe I was born to do.”