HARDYSTON -- Actress Madeline Lupi, 16, of Stockholm, has won Best Teen Actress in a Short Film at the Young Artist Academy Awards, considered the Youth Oscars of Hollywood, at the virtual celebration on Sat, November 21, 2020.
She won for the Ryan Callaway directed short film, “The Ghost in the Darkness,” a
horror/thriller about Youtuber Morgan, who stumbles upon a camera in the deep woods, containing footage of a Satanic ritual and possible murder. When the police dismiss it as a fake, she and her friend Amber set out to prove otherwise, putting themselves right in harm’s way. Lupi plays the role of Kayla, the little sister of the main character, who antagonizes her.
Lupi, a Junior at Wallkill Valley Regional High School, said her character is a strong female with a
sassy attitude. She says, "I enjoy playing sassy characters, who are independent and opinionated, especially because I'm a little sister myself, who idolizes my sister, so I feel connected to this character."
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Ryan Callaway, producer and director of the film, said that Lupi has appeared in his last four feature films. Her previous performance in "Messenger of Wrath" earned her a nomination for the 2018 Young Artist Awards and “The Girl in the Cornfield” earned her two nominations, including the 2017 Young Entertainer's Awards and Hollywood’s 2017 Young Artist Awards.
“In terms of pure acting ability and what she brings to her characters, Madeline is easily either one of the best, or the best actress I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” he said. “She’s ridiculously smart for her age, and her understanding of acting is light years ahead of what it
should be."
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Lupi was drawn to acting, because her older sister is an actress. “Being the younger sibling, I wanted to be just like her. Once I tried acting, I immediately fell in love with being different characters and letting my creativity run wild.”
Lupi enjoys acting in the horror genre and is currently shooting another film with Callaway, entitled "Lets Not Meet in the Woods," which will be out in early 2021.
You can watch "The Ghost in the Darkness" on Amazon Prime at https://www.amazon.com/gp/vide...