Francesco Russo

My city of origin is Palermo. This city has been a kind of “training novel” on which my desire to narrate has been exerted. After graduating from high school, I moved to Padua to pursue university studies by enrolling at D.A.M.S., where I pursued courses in filmmaking and film writing. Since then I have tackled all possible declinations of audiovisuals: short films, video clips, documentaries, museum video installations.

I debuted as a director in 2006 with the documentary “Cinico Visioni”, a biography of the two directors from Palermo, Daniele Ciprì and Franco Maresco. The film participated in several national film festivals, including Lago Film Festival in Revine Lago (TV). In 2008 I wrote and directed the short film “in polvere”, winner of the first prize for best short film at the International Short Film Festival “Corto Moak” in Modica. In the same period I worked as assistant director on “Lullaby”, a short film directed by Louis Nero and starring Franco Nero.

A few years later, in 2011 I was selected among 10 young Italian filmmakers at the C.I.C.I. Film Festival, during which I made in three days the short film “A Riva”, winner of the 3rd Prize. In the same year I moved to Trento to work on several multimedia productions aimed at museum installations, including MUSE - Museo delle Scienze in Trento, MAUTO - Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile in Turin and MAGMA in Follonica (GR).

In 2013 I wrote and directed the documentary “Zeroper - getting back in the game”, winner of the “Best Film in Competition” award at the 2014 Rome International Pathological Film Festival.

The following year I landed in Altamura (Bari), where I founded the audiovisual production company Animado Film, with which for years I have been making documentaries dedicated to culture, social, history,environment and folk traditions.