He was born in Albano Laziale (Rome) in 1983. He approached photography in a very personal way. In 2001, due to a car accident, he spent several months recovering. During this time, he developed an interest in philosophy and cinema. Artists such as Carmelo Bene, Gilles Deleuze, and Francis Bacon significantly influenced his education and his aesthetic approach to the “Real.” After high school, he attended the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, specializing in Arts, Music, and Performing Arts. In 2005, his study of new digital shooting techniques led him to a career as a Digital Imaging Technician, during the early days of digital cinema in Italy.
As a Digital Imaging Technician, he collaborated with several directors, including Giuseppe Tornatore, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Paolo Genovese. He teaches a Digital Imaging Technician course at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. In 2008, he began working as a Director of Photography on short films such as Noir Designer and Paranormal Stories, receiving awards like the Photography Award at the Villanova Film Festival and a special mention for photography at the Bolognini Film Festival.
Since 2017, he has fully dedicated himself to cinematography. Among his commercial works, both Italian and international, are projects for Roger Vivier, Sky, Yamaha, Tim, Dolce & Gabbana, Virgin, Moleskine, Peugeot, Iliad, McDonald’s, Disaronno, and many others. His narrative journey continues through short films and documentaries; in 2019, he shot his first feature film directed by Umberto Carteni, produced by Rodeo Drive, Rai Cinema, and 01 Distribution, and in 2020 La svolta, a Netflix Original. His current research focuses on the representation of “real” identity, drawing from philosophy, painting, and theater. In his work, Zarlenga creates suspended atmospheres, where the rhetorical action of the actor is deconstructed by a light that transcends form.
