Lissa Carandang-Sweeney
Lead Producer, Actor, and Wardrobe

Born and raised in the quiet suburbs of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, I grew up yearning to be in a city more dynamic and more diverse than the little life I knew. Upon moving to Philadelphia for college at the ripe age of 19, I found myself surrounded by insular, caucasian art scenes, reminiscent of the social scenes from my hometown- but this time, against a gritty, urban backdrop. In moving away from the suburbs, I grew to recognize and appreciate the diverse family I had all along- particularly from my brash but altruistic Filipino mother. It also helped me to acknowledge the triviality of most of my college-socialite concerns, and realize there was more to life than simply coasting by with good grades. 

Juggling up to three jobs at a time to make rent and a majority of my tuition while in college, I can’t fully relate to Alice-Heart’s financial plight. However, I can relate to having a mother that provides endless support where she can, and offers invaluable life lessons shaped from a childhood abroad. As I grow older, I’ve come to appreciate how fortunate I am to have the loving security blanket that is my mother. I’ve also learned to laugh at the quarrels and sense of entitlement that occasionally define the experiences of mixed second-generation immigrants- Alice-Heart’s and my own included.

As a proud Filipino American creative, I celebrate the opportunity to portray humble elements of FilAm culture and biracial existentialism in a way that doesn’t follow text-book melodramas. Working with and becoming close with Mike has been one of life’s greatest pleasures: the tongue-in-cheek laments of all privileged twenty-somethings he depicts in Alice-Heart is the perfect setting to explore this playground of identity expression that isn’t typically presented in film. 

Alice-Heart is a coming-of-age love letter to the city of Philadelphia, ruminating on the unique concerns of obliviously privileged Gen Z city transplants. With Alice-Heart, our entire team hopes to rekindle the liberated spirit of mumblecore filmmaking and encourage more young Gen Z artists to tell stories that are true to them, no matter how seemingly trivial or grand. 

Zach Rineer
Producer, Actor, 2nd Assistant Director

Zach Rineer is a New York-based filmmaker hailing from Philadelphia and Delaware roots. Zach has been recognized for his producing and directing work on over 30 short films featured at Nashville, Philadelphia, Santa Fe, and NFFTY Film Festivals. Recently, Zach produced western thriller short film, Idle Speed (2022), which was featured at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner and awarded the Best Producing Craft Award by NYU’s 2023 First Run Film Festival.

Zach has also had an extensive background producing, writing, and directing alongside Mike Macera on short films, including Nobody Left Behind (2022), which has amassed over 75k views online. Zach is excited to take his next steps as a producer into feature film territory with Alice-Heart.

Alfred Giancarli
Producer, Sound Mixer, Locations Manager

Alfred Giancarli has been an English teacher, photo editor, press photographer, assistant cameraman, DIT, cinema worker, and museum educator.

With a Bachelors in Filmmaking from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Masters in Journalism from Universidad de Complutense de Madrid, Alfred returned to filmmaking after a long absence in 2014 with the short film My Wife Is no Longer with Us.

In 2015, he wrote and directed Don't Despair, a critically acclaimed indie horror darling which premiered at the Horror Hound Weekend Film Festival. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short Hope to Her Register. Weeknights, his newest feature film, premiered at the South Carolina Underground Film Festival, where it won Best Feature. As of recent, Alfred has produced the upcoming short film Gettysburg.

Tony McCall
Producer, Actor

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tony McCall is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter and occasional actor. His debut short film, First Time (2023) premiered at the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival and Philly Film Showcase. Moreover, Tony strives to create stories about genuine human experiences and overcoming obstacles.

Nevertheless, Tony was initially drawn to the Alice-Heart project when Mike Macera showed him an early draft of the screenplay. He found the depiction of characters to be alluring, funny and quite relatable. Tony is excited to help produce this piece and see it come to life.

Adam McAlonie
1st Assistant Director, Editor, Actor

Adam McAlonie was born and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended Temple University for a year before leaving to dive head-first into the film industry. Since then, Adam has begun to work as a 1st and 2nd Assistant Director in New York and Philadelphia while continuing to pursue his personal goals of writing and directing. Adam's goal is to tell stories that he cares about and to reach audiences that can find a personal connection to his work.

Alice-Heart is a very special project for Adam. When Mike first showed him the script two winters ago, he fell in love with the whole idea of the piece. The snarky overconfidence of Alice-Heart. The warm support and kind ear of Tony. What’s not to like? Adam is so excited to see this little script blossom into Mike’s first feature film.

Will Bricca
Unit Production Manager, Actor

Will Bricca is a filmmaker from Westminster, MD based in New York City who earned a BFA in Directing at Temple University in 2022. Will is a member the creative collective Echidna Cone Productions, a group of young filmmakers with a passion for creating funny and fearsome films, including Will’s newest short, mother, son, Comedy! debuting this February at the Houston Comedy Film Festival. As a Unit Production Manager he has overseen the productions of the forthcoming short films Nothing to Do But Ice Cream Sundays and The Sleepover. He cannot wait to be a part of Alice-Heart and its eminently talented team of lovely people. He thinks the movie will really turn out and hopes that you'll like it!

Matt Connelly
Director of Photography, Colorist

Matt Connelly is a Philly based photographer and cinematographer, primarily working on music videos and narrative projects. His work always strives to be visually unique and expressive.

“What really drew me to Alice-Heart was Mike’s vision for the story. He tends to fall in a really grounded space, but still leaves room for levity and exploration from a visual sense.”