Soon a Major Motion Picture*

by Screenwriter/Director/Producer

Christopher Martini

From the Director: People send me books to adapt all the time, but when a friend introduced me to Anthony DeSantis and his bestselling book, The Stowaway in First Class, something immediately felt different. I was drawn to the economy of Anthony’s writing and the inherently cinematic nature of the story. But what ultimately captured me was something far more powerful: the remarkable true story of his father, Gaetano DeSantis.

In 1929, Gaetano, a young Italian immigrant living in Paris, makes a sudden decision to leave the woman he loves and stow away aboard the SS Paris bound for New York. Nearly sixty years later, his son brings him back to Paris—this time in first class—to find the woman he left behind.

I was hooked. Over the next eight months, I adapted Anthony’s book into a screenplay. As a writer/director, I write with the intention of directing, but I didn’t expect The Stowaway in First Class to become the project I wanted to put everything else aside to make.

Writing is a journey of discovery, and somewhere along that journey I realized what this film is truly about.

It is a love story.

The immigration, the danger of being a stowaway, the Atlantic crossing, and the period worlds of Paris and New York give the film its scale, but love gives it its meaning.

My vision is to tell an intimate human story on an expansive cinematic canvas. I want the Paris of 1929 and the SS Paris to feel tactile, immediate and alive, while keeping the camera emotionally close to the people at the center of the story—their choices, their sacrifices, and the consequences that follow them across a lifetime.

The film begins with the courage and hope of youth and ultimately becomes a story about time, memory, sacrifice and enduring love.

The Stowaway in First Class is a sweeping immigrant adventure that ultimately reveals itself to be something much more intimate: a timeless story about love, the choices that define our lives, and the extraordinary distance we sometimes travel to find our way home.

*The Stowaway in First Class, a feature film based on the book by Anthony DeSantis, is now in development.

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Paperback copy of The Stowaway in First Class, featuring a close up image of a large maroon and tan ship with two gold award badges

“…a love letter to the American Dream, the Italian-American family, and the power of second chances. The Godfather meets Cinema Paradiso.”‍ ‍

Marc Caruso, Producer

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Headshot of author Anthony DeSantis

Anthony DeSantis is a retired pilot and financial advisor—and Gaetano’s son.

Reviews for The Stowaway in First Class

  • “It reads like a thriller. The author’s riveting storytelling makes the book hard to put down.”

    Ciro DeFalco, chairman, Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center, Inc./ Italian American Museum of Washington DC

  • “The Stowaway in First Class is more than a family heirloom. It is a fist raised to the sky—a testament to the millions whose sweat and silence built this nation. In Guy’s odyssey, we see our own ancestors: the ones who climbed, scraped, and bargained with fate. Anthony DeSantis has not merely written a book; he has forged a monument. Let it stand beside the works of Upton Sinclair and Pietro di Donato—a raw, radiant ode to the price of a dream.”

    Nonfiction Book Awards GOLD Winner

  • “A daring stowaway adventure that opens the possibility to live the American dream.”

    Christina Holloway, award-winning author of Whispers Across a Sea: A Novel of Victorian Ireland

  • “The harrowing story of Guy DeSantis as told by his son, is evidence that one decision can change your entire life. Worth the read.”

    Mindi Wroblewski, author of The Paris Room and Your True Origin Story

  • “[A] lovingly told account of an Italian father’s 1929 immigration and American life.”

    BookLife Reviews

  • “A wonderful story of challenge and triumph, beautifully told with love and reverence for the perseverance and values that a father had, which Tony obviously inherited.”

    Harvey Elman, chairman, Landmark Properties Inc., Montreal, Canada

  • “A story about the strength of the family fabric in Italian culture. Thank you for the voyage.”

    Soren Peter Dam, retired president, Colgate-Palmolive, Brazil

  • “Anthony DeSantis gives us a first-class ticket into a world of intrigue and human resilience. He is able to weave suspense with heart. Don't miss his captivating debut as an author—it’s bound to be one of the year’s best.”

    Robert A. Urciuoli, retired president and CEO, Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island

  • “Very fascinating and exciting. It’s even more effective with the beautiful vintage photos that illustrate it.”

    Umberto Mosco, Harold J. Gay professor of mathematical sciences, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; fellow, American Mathematical Society

  • “A compelling read. The chapters about the ransom and the ‘black hand’ were so well written that I was spellbound wondering what would happen.”

    Al Robinson, English teacher

  • “The story is both inspiring and timely, given our nation’s recent immigration crisis.”

    C. Anders Holmer, superior court judge (ret.), Nevada County, California