Thursday, October 1, 2026
A Valley Stream home has found its way onto the big screen, serving as a filming location in a new feature-length film by writer, director, producer, and actor Angelo Amato.
Amato, 48, wrote, directed, produced and starred in “Max.” The movie follows the story of a man living with autism and navigating a relationship with his friend Lisa.
At the same time, Max’s aging widowed mother and sole caretaker struggles with her concerns about who will care for her son, as she gets older.
Valley Stream resident Valentina Janek, who hosts the “Long Island Breakfast Club Show”, played the role of Graziella, Max’s aging widowed mother and sole caretaker. Her Valley Stream home served as the family home in the movie.
“I play a very overbearing, worried mother that doesn’t want to see her son get hurt,” Janek said. This is Janek’s fifth acting experience and first feature-length film. “This role means a lot to me. I have close friends and family members that are on the spectrum, and I’ve watched them grow. When I got picked for this, I was happy because I like to do things that give back to people, and this film will give back and show people that there is hope for everyone.”
Amato developed a love of acting after playing the role of Kenickie in a West Hempstead middle school production of “Grease.” He continued to find his spot on stage in high school and college, even taking on some off-off-Broadway roles before stepping away from the spotlight to pursue a career in education.
After getting married, moving to Queens, and raising children, Amato began to explore his love for performing again. While participating in low-budget films, Amato realized that he could create his own work.
“I never saw myself as a filmmaker, I saw myself as an actor,” he said. “But then, I recognized that technology had got to a point where I could play with different cameras and editing platforms, and I said, ‘Why not?’”
He began writing screenplays and in 2022 released his short film “Coming Home,” which follows an Italian-American family in Queens experiencing a great loss. His short finished as a quarterfinalist in the Big Apple Film Festival.
Amato then decided to challenge himself to craft a feature-length film.
“I’ve always been drawn to important stories,” Amato said. “Film is very powerful, and I genuinely believe that a good film about an important subject matter can change someone’s life.”
He began writing the script for “Max” in 2023, filmed the movie in the summer of 2024 and finished editing the film earlier this year.
“As a low budget filmmaker there were so many times when making this that it felt like I wasn’t going to get this done,” he said. “But anytime I was at the very end of my rope, something would happen to save it.”
Amato released “Max” on YouTube on Friday, making the film freely available to the public.
“Ultimately I’ve decided I want as many people to see this film as possible, because I feel like it’s an important story,” Amato said.
“Autism is continuously on the rise,” he continued. According to a 2025 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, autism diagnoses have increased from 1 in 36 children to 1 in 31. “The message of this film is an inspirational love story, showing that it’s important to realize everyone longs to love and be loved.”
While there is no specific person that inspired Amato to create this film, it is informed by the experiences of friends and relatives whose lives have been impacted by autism.
“To see people and their families live with autism and overcome challenges on a daily basis, it’s something that’s always touched me,” Amato said. “That is something I really tried to show with the mother character.”
To watch “Max” search “Max: An Angelo Amato film” on YouTube.
