The 30th edition of the Premio Internazionale di Fotografia Cinematografica Gianni Di Venanzo came to a close on 11 October 2025 in Teramo.
The “Peppe Berardini” TV Fiction Award was presented to Marco Cuzzupoli CCS, director of photography for the series Belcanto. “A challenging project,” said Cuzzupoli, “shot by candlelight. I’m thrilled, as this is my very first award!”
Giuseppe Maio CCS received the Jury’s Plaque dedicated to Marco Onorato, awarded for his work on the film Familia. Maio spoke of the importance of Gianni Di Venanzo as a key figure in his artistic development: “In my bedroom, I have the poster of La notte photographed by Di Venanzo. For me, he was a revelation. His black and white,” he said, “remains unmatched to this day.”
Carlo Contini received the Esposimetro d’Oro alla Memoria awarded this year to his father, the great Alfio Contini. Recalling his father, he said: “I started out making my way up by bringing coffee to the person who brought the coffee!” Stefano Masi paid tribute to Alfio Contini’s work as director of photography on the legendary Il sorpasso. The award was presented by Christian Corsi, Rector of the University of Teramo.
Maurizio Calvesi received the Esposimetro d’Oro alla Fotografia di un Film Italiano for L’abbaglio (2025), directed by Roberto Andò. The jury’s motivation read: “For the refinement of a chromatic approach capable of adapting to the shifts of a narrative that reconciles official history with comedy.” “Thank you for this award,” said Calvesi. “Roberto Andò and I have been on a long journey together, having made 10 films.”
The Esposimetro d’Oro for the Cinematography of a Foreign Film was awarded to Stéphane Fontaine for Conclave (2024), directed by Edward Berger. The Jury, chaired by Stefano Masi, stated: “For masterfully balancing the intimacy of close-ups with the claustrophobic atmosphere of enclosed spaces. The unsettling effect is that of characters trapped within the wide-screen vision.”
And then Andrzej Sekula took to the stage, the cinematographer of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (Le iene).” (en.wikipedia.org) and Pulp Fiction. He received the Esposimetro d’Oro for Lifetime Achievement. Exceptionally generous with his time, Sekula spent the morning virtually giving a lectio magistralis on filmmaking in the courtyard of the Delfico Library, delving into the details of framing, especially for the two films he made with Tarantino. “I am truly honoured to be here,” he said on stage. “Italian cinema played a key role in my education.” The motivation for Sekula’s award read: “Prince of darkness of American independent cinema.” Over the past thirty years, Andrzej Sekula has explored every variation of low-key cinematography, from Reservoir Dogs to American Psycho.
