Maurizio Porro, chairman
Maurizio Porro has been working for 50 years at the “Corriere della Sera” covering entertainment, cinema and theater. With a degree in philosophy, he has often delved into the genre of musicals overseeing Garinei & Giovannini’s series for Fabbri. He also directed a documentary on Strehler and worked in the 1960s at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. His publications include monographs on Losey, Sordi, Alida Valli and Mariangela Melato (an issue of “Bianco e Nero”), as well as Fine del primo tempo, Il cinema vuol dire and most recently, Io li conoscevo bene, published by La Nave di Teseo.
Fabio Ferzetti
Born in Rome but educated in Paris, Fabio Ferzetti curated an exhibition and a volume on cinematographers, La Bottega della Luce (Ubulibri), in 1983. Once a critic, essayist and journalist at the “Messaggero” from 1984 to 2017, today he writes for “L’Espresso,” “The Hollywood Reporter” and “Ciak.” He has curated various sections of the Venice Film Festival (Finestra sulle Immagini, Giornate degli Autori and International Critics’ Week) and has done radio and TV producing, among others “La valigia dell’attore” for Stream TV (2000-2001). In 2007 he launched the program 100 + 1. Cento film e un paese: l’Italia. He has edited various critical editions of works on DVD (Rohmer, Martone, Scola). In 2012 he co-directed (with G. Giagni) a documentary on Verdone, Carlo!, which opened the Rome Film Fest. He recently published with F. Pommier a volume on Pierfrancesco Favino
Betta Olmi
Betta Olmi specializes in film production as an organizer and executive producer for numerous films by leading Italian directors. After extensive experience on film sets, in 2009 she became the sole director of the Ipotesi Cinema Company founded by Ermanno Olmi. Observation and documentation of reality are the basis for the creation of projects undertaken by the company. She has received nominations for the David di Donatello and Nastro d’Argento awards and was honored in 2015 with the Ciak d’Oro and the Franco Cristaldi Award at the Bif&st as best producer.
Iris Peynado
Iris Peynado, Dominican by birth but Italian by adoption, is an icon in Italian cinema and TV. She has worked alongside industry greats such as Luigi Magni, Alberto Lattuada, Massimo Troisi, Roberto Benigni, Ugo Gregoretti, Antonello Falqui, and Pippo Baudo, leaving her mark on unforgettable works such as Non ci resta che piangere, Sanremo Festival, and in cult films such as Attila Flagello di Dio. Her artistic endeavors have earned her numerous awards both in Italy and abroad, attesting to her talent and versatility as a performer.
Federico Pontiggia (1978)
Graduated in History and Criticism of Cinema from the University of Turin, Federico Pontiggia is a professional journalist and film critic. Editor of the “Rivista del Cinematografo” and the website www.cinematografo.it, he has been a film critic for “Fatto Quotidiano” since its foundation. He is the author and television host of Movie Mag on Rai Movie. Among his publications are La grande abbuffata (with Livio Giorgioni and Marco Ronconi, 2001) and “Abel Ferrara, il cattivo tenente” (2004). He co-wrote with Alessandro Bignami the documentary E venne l’uomo – Un dialogo con Ermanno Olmi, presented in competition in the Venezia Classici section of the 73rd Venice Film Festival. He co-directed with Giancarlo Rolandi the documentary 24/25 – Il fotogramma in più, presented in competition at the Venezia Classici section of the 75th Venice Film Festival. He was co-director of TaorminaFilmFest in 2021-22 and curated the film section of TAOBUK – Taormina Book Festival in 2023-24.
