MONMOUTH COUNTY — An award-winning documentary rooted in a former Holmdel family’s heartbreaking loss and its mission to raise awareness of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is returning to Monmouth County for another public screening.
“VIENNA: Suddenly An Angel,” the 19-minute documentary about the life and passing of Vienna Carly Savino, will screen Sunday, Nov. 8, at the SModcastle Film Festival at SModcastle Cinemas, 82 First Ave., in Atlantic Highlands.
The screening comes just weeks after the film received the Best Documentary Short Film award at the Love & Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain, where it made its international premiere.
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For Dr. Denise Wunderler, Vienna’s mother and one of the film’s producers, the recognition carries significance beyond the world of independent film-making. It helps bring greater attention to SUDC and the need for research into the unexplained deaths of children.
In 2017, when the family lived in Holmdel, Vienna was 2½ years old when she fell asleep watching television and stopped breathing. Her sudden, unexplained death changed the lives of Wunderler and her family forever.
The documentary transforms that deeply personal experience into a story of love, loss, resilience and healing, while helping viewers understand the devastating reality of SUDC. Anyone on the painful journey of grief can connect with the raw emotion that the film captures.
It can be specifically relatable for anyone who has had the unimaginable happen: A child dying.
SUDC, or Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, refers to the sudden and unexplained death of a child 1 to 18 years old that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation.
Wunderler, a physician, has channeled her family’s experience into advocacy through Team Vienna 4 SUDC Awareness Inc., an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and supporting research.
The organization works alongside the SUDC Coalition to advance understanding of the condition and support efforts to prevent future tragedies.
Directed and produced by Marko Albrecht, with Wunderler and Carol Stillwell also serving as producers, “VIENNA: Suddenly An Angel” has earned recognition at film festivals in New Jersey and abroad.
The film won Best Homegrown Short Documentary at the Garden State Film Festival during its world premiere. It subsequently screened at the Monmouth Film Festival at Bell Works in Holmdel in May, earning additional recognition.
Its latest honor came at the Love & Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona, held Oct. 14-17, where it was named Best Documentary Short Film.
Wunderler shared her gratitude following the international recognition, describing the moment she walked to the stage as the audience chanted, “Vienna, Vienna, Vienna.”
The gesture was especially meaningful to a mother whose efforts to tell her daughter's story are also an effort to keep Vienna's memory alive.
The film also received the Outstanding Short Documentary award at the 2026 SSFF, adding to its growing list of festival honors.
The upcoming Atlantic Highlands screening marks the film’s third public New Jersey premiere, offering another opportunity for local audiences to experience the documentary and learn about the cause behind it.
The screening is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., in Film Block 22, Screen 2, at SModcastle Cinemas, part of the SModcastle Film Festival founded by filmmaker Kevin Smith.
For those who have followed the family's journey through local coverage, the film offers a particularly personal connection to the community where Vienna lived and where her family's advocacy continues.
For Wunderler, each screening and award helps extend the reach of a mission that began with an unimaginable loss: keeping Vienna's memory alive while working toward greater awareness, research and, ultimately, the prevention of unexplained deaths in children.
The SModcastle Film Festival runs Nov. 5-8. Screening information and tickets are available at https://www.smodcastlecinemas.com/smodcastlefilmfestival.
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