What’s harder, breaking out in the indie film scene in LA, or becoming a first-time mother? Let’s ask Adriana Natale, who did both for the first time.

With the industry still slow post-strike for most actors, this actor is moving at the speed of light: caring for a new baby, and preparing for the world premier of her breakout indie film!

Award-winning writer and SAG/AFTRA actor Adriana Natale didn’t let anything stop her from turning her short film into a reality, including falling pregnant.

Natale was “shocked, scared, and excited” to learn she was pregnant only a couple of months before her first major project went into production. Something she had been pursuing since the pandemic halted productions and she decided to take her career into her own hands by focusing on writing and developing a proof-of-concept short film for an original scripted series.

With more and more women finding themselves behind the camera Adriana Natale was pleased (and a lil tired) to find herself among the ranks of other expectant mothers working on set, such as Oscar winner Emerald Fennel who shot Promising Young Woman while eight months pregnant and Academy Award Nominee Rachel Morrison who said “Pregnancy is not some disability”1.

Of the experience, Natale said: “Was this pregnancy going to force everything to a standstill? I decided I wouldn’t let it. We knew we wanted to try for a baby this year, and I was dead-set focused on making this film a reality. I just didn’t expect it to happen all at once! Seeing as though it all worked out…It’s been an incredibly rewarding challenge.”

Enter: The Coven. A female horror comedy about a naive LA transplant who finds herself living with 2 witchy roommates who are up to more than she bargained for.

“I thought, after I finished filming, I’d have a break, but there was so much still to do to get the word out there about this film and prepare for a baby. So there I was, juggling baby books and birthing classes while promoting The Coven and auditioning. But honestly, I couldn’t have been happier.”

Fast forward to 2024, The Coven has been recognized in eight film festivals, where it has received numerous nominations, honorable mentions, and Best Mockumentary and Women Filmmaker awards.

Most recently, Hollywood Comedy Shorts announced they will be hosting the World Premiere for The Coven at their festival this May 4th-5th at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas in Glendale and virtually on Bitpix.

Natale may still not be sleeping through the night taking care of her little bundle of joy, but this groggy and ambitious mom won’t let that stop her from celebrating her hard work at the festival.

https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/rachel-morrison-cinematographer-working-while-pregnant-1201993038/