After graduating in Philosophy in my hometown of Milan, I moved to London, where I earned a Master’s degree in Documentary Practice, which thought me visual storytelling and strong camera skills. Despite my two unmarketable academic choices and the Great Recession, I could scrape out a living working on indie film productions, music videos, branded content and commercials – spanning from the role of a runner to camera work, directing, and editing.
One day, I decided to commit myself wholeheartedly to documentary filmmaking, as I am convinced that reality exceeds imagination – or that I am lacking imagination. My first documentary short ‘Generation In Transit’ was broadcast by BBC Three.
After Brexit, I moved to Berlin, where I became the author and cinematographer of numerous prime-time reportages for the public channel ARTE. My works explored social phenomena such as the migration crisis and the resurgence of nationalisms in Europe. I became a Logan Nonfiction fellow in New York thanks to my contribution as cinematographer and editor of the documentary ‘The Lesson’ by Elena Horn which focused on Holocaust education in Germany. I am particularly proud of my short documentary ‘Life and death with a coronavirus ambulance volunteer in Milan’ for The Guardian and ‘Una Giornata di Silvia M.’, which won the Torino Piemonte Film Commission award. ‘Pizza, Democracy & The Little Prince’ screened by the UN headquarter and won international awards. In collaboration with NZZ, I make films that go on air on 3Sat and SRF, like ‘Einsame Alpendörfer’, which is about the depopulation of Alpine villages.
I am especially drawn to themes that allow me to explore my sense of community, be it on a local or global scale. My artistic and journalistic pursuits brought me to Turkey, Scandinavia, East Africa and in the Balkans. However, my biggest challenge is to understand and film my own country.
Currently based in Berlin, I continue to contribute as an author and cinematographer to public service channels like ARTE and ZDF, but also with commercial platforms like Netflix, BBC Storyworks and wherever my next project takes me.
