Andrea Iervolino

Andrea Iervolino was born in Cassino, Italy, in the province of Lazio. His Canadian-born mother, Sonia, was adopted and moved to Italy at a young age. His father, Giovanni, came from a wealthy Italian family, but his grandfather left the family business in inexperienced hands when he passed. Consequently, the family quickly went bankrupt.[12]

As a child, Iervolino had a stutter and was frequently bullied. Despite his teachers' recommendations, his mother blocked his transfer to a school for disabled children. He believes his stammer was triggered by the shock of his father's descent into alcoholism following the family's financial hardship.[12]

Iervolino at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards with Kathleen Wynne, Sergio Marchionne and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

At thirteen, Iervolino launched a small tech business selling websites with his friends to local entrepreneurs in Cassino, where it was unusual to use the Internet for advertising. Following this success, Iervolino left home at the age of fifteen to work as a producer's assistant on Broadway-style shows in the resort town of Bibione, Italy.[12]

In September of that same year, he returned to his hometown to produce his first film which was financed through crowd-funding from local investors willing to sponsor his project for small donations. A year later, he had produced his first film The Cavalier of Love (2003).[13]

After failing to distribute it in local cinemas, Iervolino began the initiative: Cineschool Day. This strategy involved adding his films into Cassino schools' curriculums giving students the opportunity to go to the watch the films during the day-time at a reduced price. The screenings would then be followed by social debates amongst their classes. For this purpose, Iervolino put together a library of films already in existence with strong social themes and proposed them to schools, complete with information brochures and ideas for how the students could debate. The initiative gained enough traction in the small town that former Italian Prime Minister and Senator for life Giulio Andreotti attended as spokesperson from 2011 to 2012.[14][15]In 2011, he founded the production company Iervolino Entertainment.[16]

While in Italy, Iervolino met Luciano Martino who became his fatherly mentor and business partner before he died in 2013.[13] Together, they co-produced several films including the aforementioned "The Merchant of Venice". Following the launch of AMBI Media Group in 2013, Iervolino and his business partner, Monika Gomez del Campo Bacardi, went on to launch AMBI Distribution in Beverly Hills, and AIC Studios in Toronto.[17][18] As of 2017, AMBI Media Group also had offices in London, China,[19] and Italy.

In 2015, Iervolino's company acquired 85% of the Exclusive Media Group (EMG) film library[20] in partnership with New York-based private equity firm Raven Capital Management granting licensing, sequel and remake rights to over 400 features including Begin Again, Cruel Intentions, Donnie Darko, End of Watch, Ides of March, Rush, The Skulls, Snitch, Undefeated, and Memento.[21] These are now listed amongst AMBI Exclusive's library and relicensed around the world.[22][23][24]

Beginning in 2015, Iervolino and Lady Bacardi began the AMBI Gala Foundation and hosted the first annual AMBI Gala.[25] The proceeds of the gala were given to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for investing in environmental causes. The gala was held just before the night of the TIFF in Toronto.[26]

Iervolino is one of the first film producers to co-produce a film involving the Pope.[27] Pope Francis appeared as himself in the film Beyond the Sun,[28] which premiered in Vatican City in September 2017.[29] That year he also received an Honoris Cause Degree from Vasile Goldis University, in the city of Arad.[30]

One year later he received another Honoris Cause Degree from University of Mexico City. More recently, he started his own company SPACE 11.[31]

• State of Consciousness
• Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)
• The Poison Rose (2019)
• Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad (2019)[32][33]
• Trading Paint (2019)[34][35]
• Finding Steve McQueen (2019)
• Here and Now(2018)[36]
• Bent (2018)[37]
• Beyond the Edge (2018)
• Beyond the Sun (2017)[38]
• In Search of Fellini (2017)[39]
• Lamborghini – The Legend (2017)[40]
• The Music of Silence (2017)[41]
• Black Butterfly (2017)
• To the Bone (2017)
• East End (2016)[42]
• This Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
• In Dubious Battle (2016)
• Rupture (2016)
• All Roads Lead to Rome (2015)
• Septembers of Shiraz (2015)
• Andron (2015)
• The Humbling (2014)
• Like the Wind (2013)
• Outing – Fidanzati per sbaglio
• La mia mamma suona il rock
• Si può fare l'amore vestiti?
• L'allenatore nel pallone 2 (2008)
• The Merchant of Venice (2004)

• Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2016 – Winner of the IC Saving Award for the Best Canadian Film[43]
• Venice Film Festival 2016 – Mimmo Rotella Special Award for the production of "In Dubious Battle"[44][45]
• Venice Film Festival 2015 – Mimmo Rotella Special Award for the production of "The Humbling"[44]
• Made in Italy Awards 2015 – Nominated for Best Businessman[46]
• Pompeii Cinema Festival 2014 – Winner of the "Fauno danzante" for best foreign production with the film "The Humbling"[47]
• Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2018 – Winner of the Best Producer Award[48]
• Ordine al Merito Della Repubblica Italiana – Awarded as a Knight of the Italian Republic[8]
• Premio Eccellenza Italiana 2020 – Sezione Cinema
• Variety 500