He attended the DAMS program in Bologna for two years and after his final exam in Film Studies, he moved to Rome as an intern for a small film: Augh! Augh!. He permanently left his studies and in the early 1980s, he participated in the production of several short films and movies produced by the IDI Coop company, directed by Gian Vittorio Baldi, including La terza età and La guérilléra. He worked as a camera assistant with various masters of Italian cinematography on national commercials at companies such as Playvision, Cinemac 2, Rosanna & Associati, and Studio Kappa. In Rome, he began a fruitful collaboration with the Avati Factory, participating in the production of eight films, including Una gita scolastica, Impiegati, Festa di laurea, and Regalo di Natale.
He transitioned to camera operator in 1987, working with several Italian directors including Moretti, Farina, Luchetti, Mazzacurati, Calopresti, and Eronico on films such as Stesso sangue, Il Portaborse, Quando eravamo repressi, Condannato a nozze, Il Toro, I buchi neri, La seconda volta, and Aprile. His early work as a cinematographer includes La Cosa by Nanni Moretti, a documentary on political changes in the Italian left, Se c’è rimedio perché ti preoccupi? by Carlo Sarti, and Fiabe metropolitane directed by Egidio Eronico, which was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival ’97. He also worked on Ponte Milvio, Roberto Meddi’s directorial debut, which won the Tetouan Film Festival in 2000, and Non dire gatto, Giorgio Tirabassi’s debut short film, which won four awards, including the David di Donatello in 2002.
For Sacher Film, he created several projects using found footage, including I diari della Sacher, Antonio Ruju by Roberto Nanni, Scalamara by Giuseppe M. Gaudino, Ca Cri Do Bo by Susanna Nicchiarelli, In nome del popolo italiano by Valia Santella, Bandiera rossa e borsa nera by Andrea Molaioli, and Davai Bistre! Avanti Presto! by Mara Chiaretti, which were presented at numerous national and international festivals.
In 2003, he worked on the photography, alongside Alessandro Pesci, for Elisa di Rivombrosa, a TV series, followed by a second collaboration on Le stagioni del cuore in 2004. From 2003 to 2008, he shot 14 documentaries, including Il cineasta e il labirinto, a portrait of Francesco Rosi produced by the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and directed by Roberto Andò, and Segni particolari by Giuseppe Bertolucci, which was presented at the Venice Film Festival and nominated for David di Donatello. In 2004, Il bravo gatto prende i topi, a long journey through the changes in China by Francesco Conversano and Nene Grignaffini, produced by RAI, won the David di Donatello.
Other collaborations followed from 2006, including Atlante veneziano, Dove la bellezza non si annoia mai, Taccuino indiano, Megalopolis, which won Best Cinematography at the Rhode Island International Film Festival 2008, and the more recent Muri, which won Best Cinematography at the Ilaria Alpi TV Journalism Award 2013. Giorni in prova by Maria Daria Menozzi, produced by Vivo Film, was selected for the David di Donatello in 2007. Also in 2004, Il vento fa il suo giro, directed by Giorgio Diritti, was released. Shot in a distinctly experimental manner, the film, set in a small Alpine village, mirrors today’s world with its hopes and violence. Il vento fa il suo giro received 36 awards and 16 nominations at 121 national and international festivals and also experimented with alternative and independent distribution through Arancia Film.
