In the movie "Trust Fund," scenery that looks like Italy is actually a place we all know very well -- Kansas City.
"Kansas City is incredibly diverse," said cinematographer Isaac Alongi. "You can make it look like Italy."
Alongi and his wife, Sandra Martin, are first-time filmmakers. They made their first movie in their hometown - Kansas City.
"We just knew that we wanted to stay in the place where we knew and where people knew us," said Martin. "And we knew if we went somewhere else we just wouldn't have that advantage."
In the movie, a large Kansas City home doubles as an Italian villa.
"We'll show big scene setters from when we (did film) in Italy, but then we shoot a little bit smaller, a little bit closer, and honestly you won't know where you're at," said Martin.
Watch the trailer for "Trust Fund" below.
Trust Fund Movie Trailer from isaac alongi on Vimeo.
The romantic drama features some well known Hollywood actors, such as Ana Ortiz from "Ugly Betty" and Kevin Kilner from "House of Cards."
The couple casted the film using their Hollywood connections. After working on countless other productions, they launched their own production company just a few years ago.
"We always kind of had this desire to work on a feature film and have our own project and our own ideas and be able to call the shots from beginning to end," said Martin.
The movie's a love story that also shows the filmmakers' love of their hometown.
"Kansas City," said Martin. "They really showed up and supported us in a big way."
"Trust Fund" opens in AMC Theaters in Kansas City on Friday. If the movie does well here, the filmmakers hope to show it nationwide.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
