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Marco Spagnoli is a journalist, film critic, writer, and director with over two decades of experience in the entertainment and media industry. He serves as Deputy Director and Head of Doc & Factual at Mia Market Italy and contributes to numerous film and TV events nationwide. Spagnoli has written and directed several podcast series, including Interno Giorno (Amazon Audible), Volare!, and Sophia - Voce di una Diva (Rai Radio3). He is the editor of Il giornale dello Spettacolo, Italy's leading trade magazine, and teaches documentary filmmaking at the Writing Master program of Luiss Business School in Rome, as well as offering a course on the Domestika e-learning platform.
As a documentary filmmaker, Spagnoli has been nominated three times for the Italian Academy Award and received a Silver Ribbon for his cinema history documentaries. His work has garnered awards at multiple international festivals.
He wrote and directed the documentary Hollywood sul Tevere, which premiered in the Controcampo Italiano section of the 66th Venice International Film Festival. Produced by Cinecittà Luce and Studio Universal, it was nominated for the 2010 David di Donatello Award for Best Documentary and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Documentary on Cinema. The film is composed entirely of footage from Istituto Luce.
In 2011, Spagnoli directed Hollywood Invasion, a documentary featuring NBCUniversal footage highlighting American film productions in Europe from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. It premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival as a Special Event in the Controcampo Italiano section and was nominated for Best Use of Footage in an Arts Production at the 2012 Focal International Awards.
His documentary Giovanna Cau - Diversamente Giovane, chronicling the life of Giovanna Cau, renowned lawyer and agent to Marcello Mastroianni, Federico Fellini, and other Italian cinema icons, premiered at the 2011 Rome Film Festival as a Special Event in the Extra section. The film earned Italian Golden Globe and Silver Ribbon honors for Cau, while Spagnoli received a Special Prize from the Italian Journalist Association.
In 2012, Spagnoli’s Giuliano Montaldo - Quattro Volte Vent'Anni was showcased at the Rome International Film Festival, winning a Special Mention from the Rome Libraries' System jury and a Special Silver Ribbon for Best Actor. It was also nominated for Best Long Documentary at the 12th Sichuan TV Festival’s International Gold Panda Awards in 2013.
His 2013 documentary Great Women: Anna Magnani in Hollywood, produced by NBC Global Network, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Classics selection.
In 2014, Spagnoli wrote and directed Walt Disney and Italy - A Love Story, produced by the Walt Disney Company in collaboration with Kobalt Entertainment. Featuring footage of Walt Disney’s travels in Italy and rare interviews with Federico Fellini and Umberto Eco, the documentary was released in theaters as a special event tied to the marketing campaign for Saving Mr. Banks.
Also in 2014, Great Women: Sophia Loren, produced by NBC Global Network, was selected for the Venice Classics at the Venice Film Festival.
The ninth Rome Film Festival hosted the world premiere of his documentary Enrico Lucherini - Some of My Lies Are True, about the pioneering Italian press agent who promoted films like La Dolce Vita and served as Sophia Loren’s personal publicist. Spagnoli earned a Special Silver Ribbon for this and two other documentaries, a prestigious Italian award akin to the Golden Globe.
Enrico Lucherini - Ne ho fatte di tutti i colori was nominated for the David di Donatello Award for Best Documentary.
Between 2014 and 2015, Spagnoli wrote and directed two short documentaries, Great Women: Mina and Great Women: Matilde Serao, as well as two TV specials for Studio Universal on Anne Bancroft and Woody Allen, the latter featuring Italian director Carlo Verdone.
In 2016, he directed a commercial series titled #IoFaccioFilm, promoted by MPA, Anica, Univideo, and Fapav, aimed at protecting intellectual property and inspiring creativity among youth.
In 2017, to mark the 80th anniversary of Cinecittà Studios, Spagnoli directed Cinecittà Babylon - Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts, produced by Istituto Luce - Cinecittà.
He also wrote and directed Roaring Engines, his second feature documentary produced by the Walt Disney Company, celebrating the third installment of the Disney-Pixar Cars franchise.
The Roma Cinema Fest 2017 premiered two of his works: the documentary The Italian Jobs - Paramount Pictures and Italy, produced by Paramount Channel, and the short film Sweetheart, starring Marco Giallini and Violante Placido. The Italian Jobs was nominated for Best Documentary at the David di Donatello Awards and for Best Documentary on Film at the Silver Ribbons.
Spagnoli is the first Italian director to create a 360 VR feature-length film, 7 Miracles VR, produced alongside co-director Rodrigo Cerqueira, Enzo Sisti, and Joel Breton for Vive Studios. The film premiered at the Raindance Festival in London on October 6, 2018, winning the VR Film of the Festival Award, and was distributed across all VR platforms in 2019.
In January 2019, Raiuno broadcast Children of Destiny, a historical docudrama co-directed by Spagnoli and Francesco Micciché, based on Spagnoli’s story and screenplay about Italy’s racial laws targeting Jews. The program attracted 2,969,000 viewers, achieving a 12.4 share. In 2020, Children of Destiny received a special award at the Silver Ribbon ceremony.
History Channel and Istituto Luce produced his documentary Italian Moon - Rocco Petrone and the Apollo 11 Voyage, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing and focusing on Italo-American Apollo program head Rocco Petrone.
In October 2019, Raitre aired his documentary on legendary Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci as part of the Illuminate 2 series, drawing over half a million viewers in prime time.
He co-directed Cecchi Gori - Una Famiglia Italiana with Simone Isola, produced by Giuseppe Lepore, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival.
Spagnoli co-wrote and co-directed Our Pope with Tiziana Lupi, exploring Pope Bergoglio’s origins. The film was released theatrically for the Holy Father’s 83rd birthday on December 17 and broadcast on Raiuno on December 25, 2020, attracting 931,000 viewers.
Between 2020 and 2021, he co-wrote and directed Alda Merini - La Musica del Cuore, starring Claudia Gerini, about beloved Italian poet Alda Merini for Illuminate 3, and Mariangela Melato - Il Gioco della Verità, starring Elena Sofia Ricci, for Illuminate 4.
He also co-wrote and directed six episodes of Il Segno delle Donne, a series on notable Italian women: politician Adele Faccio; silent film star Vera Vergani; Olympic gold medalist athlete Ondina Valla (Berlin 1936); diva Alida Valli; creators of Diabolik, the Giussani sisters; and pioneering female pilot Carina Massone Negrone.
Spagnoli directed Lion's Courage, starring Anna Foglietta, about the 2019 Covid edition of the Venice Film Festival; it premiered at Biografilm Fest in Bologna in June 2021.
His recent work Space Made in Italy, chronicling the history of the Italian space program, premiered at Dubai Expo’s Italian Pavilion during Aerospace Week, following an Italian premiere at Bifest - Bari International Film Festival. It won Best Documentary at the Tsiolovsky Space Fest.
Franco Battiato - La Voce del Padrone premiered at the 68th Taormina Film Fest.
In 2016, Seven Kings, a TV pilot he co-wrote with German screenwriter Michael Esser, won second place for Best Screenplay at the Independent Film Showcase in Los Angeles.
Marco Spagnoli is a father to four children: Claudio, Antonio, Leone, and Alice.
