MAX MINGHELLA
British actor & filmmaker, Minghella attended Columbia University and the National Youth Theater in London. He can currently be seen playing Nick Blaine in the Emmy winning Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale", opposite Elisabeth Moss. In 2016 Minghella wrote and produced Alexandre Aja’s "The 9th Life of Louis Drax" His other acting credits include George Clooney's "The Ides of March"; Alejandro Amenabar’s "Agora" and David Fincher’s "The Social Network". "Teen Spirit" marks his directorial debut.

Director's statement
"TEEN SPIRIT is set mainly on the Isle of Wight, a small island off the coast of England, where my father grew up. Son of two Italian immigrants, he worked in his parents' bar after school and delivered ice cream on the weekends. On his free time, he devoted himself to playing in his band or writing music. Passion that later became decisive in his life. My mother left Hong Kong when she was 18 to pursue a career as a dancer in London, it was her first time away from home. Her choice was not very well seen in her family, formed almost entirely by medical professionals. And so, my interest in a character like Violet - who feels culturally disoriented and finds comfort in artistic expression - was maybe inevitable. TEEN SPIRIT is somehow a fairy tale - the classic story of Cinderella. The film aims to entertain and subvert those stereotypes. Violet faces many obstacles during her journey, but I hope TEEN SPIRIT never falls into simple sentimentality. [...] The will and security that Violet develops throughout the story - not only to sing freely, but also to reject the needing for other’s approval - is the focus of the film. And I hope it will be inspiring for all those who feel the same distance between their dreams and reality, and push them to trust their own voice".