Christopher Meloni and Michael Gandolfini Star in Sophia Meloni’s Short Film “Chop Cheese”

“Chop Cheese,” a short film set in New York City’s bodega culture, will premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortFest later this month. The story follows 16-year-old Dante as he seeks the title “boss” from a deli worker, a pursuit that tests his sense of responsibility.

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The film features Christopher Meloni and Michael Gandolfini in guest roles, while teenage leads Luca Rickman (as Dante), Anki Alvarez Marquez, and Dylan Frankel portray the central youth. Supporting actors Mark Lake, Isabel Gillies, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., and Darrius Jones also appear.

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Christopher Meloni served; his wife Sherman Williams is credited as “Crafty.” Sophia Meloni wrote the story, inspired by Dante Meloni. Lisa Rudin produced, Sasha Waters handled wrangling, and crew includes editor Aaron Freese, DP Lexa Krebs, composer Callie Reiff. Thank-you acknowledges godmother Mariska Hargitay.

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Dante, played by Luca Rickman, navigates the fragile politics of teenage status in a neighborhood deli. His obsession with being called “boss” drives him to test the limits of respect and responsibility, highlighting quiet rituals and micro-encounters that shape adolescent identity.

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By focusing on a New York bodega, the short offers a rare cinematic glimpse of a community hub that shapes daily life for many city residents. Its portrayal of teenage experience through mundane moments contributes to broader conversations about youth representation and independent short-film storytelling.

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Christopher Meloni said he felt honored to support his daughter’s first creative steps and noted that his family does not follow the traditional rule against working together. Sophia Meloni described the bodega as the ideal setting to capture the marginal moments that shape adolescence. He noted the family’s willingness.

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• “My father was a doctor and broke the cardinal rule of treating his family, but within a scope that he knew he was proficient at,” — Christopher Meloni, Actor

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• “Growing up here, I learned the moments that shape you most often happen in the margins, waiting, loitering, the small rituals that repeat until they quietly become your life,” — Sophia Meloni, Writer/Director

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• “The bodega felt like the perfect place to capture that.” — Sophia Meloni, Writer/Director

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• “It’s the seemingly trivial moments that are truer of the teenage experience. Ultimately, being sixteen is about everything happening all at once and nothing really happening at all. It’s about being so consumed by yourself that it’s blinding,” — Sophia Meloni, Writer/Director

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“Chop Cheese” will debut at the Palm Springs International ShortFest later this month, marking the first entry in Sophia Meloni’s planned series of short films that will continue to explore adolescence at future festivals.

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