Youngstown native has role in thriller shot in Florida

Staff report

SARASOTA, FLA.

Youngstown native Toni Ann Rossi plays one of the lead characters in “Deadly Closure,” a mystery thriller that recently premiered at the Sarasota (Fla.) Film Festival. Rossi played Carol Dodd, a country-club manager who befriends the lead character.

Rossi, a real-estate agent in Sarasota, Fla., trained in Los Angeles at the Larry Moss Studio and spent 10 years in California honing her craft. She was cast in “Scrubs,” “Judging Amy” and “Life with Bonnie,” among other projects.

“Deadly Closure” was filmed entirely in Sarasota and features cameo appearances by Audrey Landers (“A Chorus Line,” the movie) and comedienne Diane Ford (HBO specials).

It tells the story of Janis McKenzie, a 36-year-old Sarasota photographer portrayed by Lisa Varga (“Marley & Me” and “America’s Most Wanted”). Twenty years earlier, Janis had witnessed her twin brother kill their parents. Now, as her brother is about to be paroled from prison, she prepares for him to kill her for having testified against him.

The film was produced by DeVere Films of Sarasota and directed by Andrzej Mrotek, also of Sarasota.