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Stefano Salvati, as a director and producer, has created films, music videos, commercials, music television programs, and theatrical performances. He is regarded as the most important Italian author in the music video field. Salvati has directed video clips and music broadcasts for numerous Italian artists, including Vasco Rossi, Zucchero, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini, Antonello Venditti, Renato Zero, Paolo Conte, Riccardo Cocciante, Fiorello, Biagio Antonacci, Max Pezzali and 883, Gianna Nannini, Gianni Morandi, Fabrizio De André, Giorgia, Gianluca Grignani, Irene Grandi, and many others. He has also worked with international artists such as Sting, Aerosmith, Billy Preston, Tony Childs, and Toquinho.
Salvati co-directed the video clip "Gli Angeli" by Vasco Rossi with Roman Polanski; the video was showcased at the Venice Film Festival and received numerous international awards. He was a partner with Polanski in Castelnuovo Films for 11 years. His videos and commercials have featured renowned Italian actors like Stefano Accorsi, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Raul Bova, Franco Nero, and Gina Lollobrigida, as well as international stars including Sharon Stone, Angelina Jolie, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Gerard Depardieu, Laetitia Casta, and Claire Forlani. Some of these actors launched their careers under Salvati’s direction.
Several of his videos have earned prestigious awards worldwide. For example, Sting’s "Fields of Gold" was named Best French Video in 1998; Zucchero’s "Mint and Rosemary" placed third at the Cannes Special Effects Awards and MTV Awards Latino; Bocelli's "Con te partirò" won Best German Video. In 1998, Salvati gained worldwide media attention when Madonna was accused of plagiarizing a 1994 video he directed for Biagio Antonacci in her video "Ray of Light."
In 1992, Salvati contributed as an author to Federico Fellini’s final, unfinished work. He has also been involved in theatrical opera productions such as "The Barber of Seville," "Pagliacci," and worked with Andrea Bocelli on Massenet's "Werther." His television work includes collaborations with dance companies like Moses Pendleton’s Momix. Renowned cinematographers like Vilmos Zsigmond, Wally Pfister, Ennio Guarnieri, and Maurizio Calvesi have collaborated with him.
Together with Carlo Lucarelli, a prominent Italian writer, Salvati has written five film screenplays and over a hundred subjects for video clips. He has conducted directing workshops in Italy and internationally, including at NUCT, ACT Multimedia, Bologna audiovisual experimental laboratories, and the University of Bologna.
In 1998, he directed "Jolly Blu," a film for the band 883, released mainly for home video but briefly screened in six theaters. The video sold 180,000 copies within months and reached nearly 5 million viewers on Italia 1, marking one of the channel’s highest ratings. In 2005, he directed the feature film "È solo un rock’n’roll show" with Vasco Rossi, pioneering the "movieclip," a blend of cinema and music videos.
In 2008, Salvati authored the book "Albakiara," which inspired his first cinema film. In 2010, he created the show "The Other Half of the Sky" and later assisted Vasco Rossi with its dramaturgy. In 2012, he staged "The Other Half of the Sky" at Teatro alla Scala to critical and audience acclaim. The show’s CD, featuring Vasco Rossi’s music, went platinum in two weeks with 110,000 copies sold, becoming the fourth best-selling classical music album worldwide in 2012.
From 2012 onward, Salvati focused on production and management, serving as Vasco Rossi’s manager from 2012 to 2013. He executive co-produced LiveKom 2013, consisting of seven sold-out concerts in Turin and Bologna stadiums, and created and presided over the VascoRossiDancingProject from 2011 to 2013. He also directed and produced the VascoRossiDjProject acoustic show in 2012.
In 2015, Salvati resumed directing, working on various music videos and commercials, including Antonello Venditti’s "What Did You Have in Mind." In 2016, he conceived and wrote the international musical "The Singer," based on Enrico Caruso’s life, produced by Bags Entertainment. That year, in collaboration with FIMI, he launched the world’s first video clip festival, premiering in Ravenna with Antonello Venditti participating.
In 2017, Salvati produced a major musical event with Antonello Venditti and top Italian singers in partnership with UNESCO MAB in Comacchio. He also directed commercials and developed TV broadcasts. The same year, with Daimon Film and MN Holding, and in partnership with FIMI, Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music, he created IMAGinACTION, the first world video clip festival held in Cesena. The festival featured artists like Sting, who gave the longest television interview of his career. Salvati also produced and directed video clips of Sony Music’s classic songs, such as Antonello Venditti’s "Notte prima degli esami," Fabrizio De André’s "Il pescatore," and Lucio Dalla’s "Come è profondo il mare."
In 2018, Salvati produced events including the Comacchio Beach Festival with exclusive performances by Edoardo Bennato and Alex Britti, and Notte Oro Spring in Ravenna. He co-produced and served as artistic director of IMAGinACTION 2018, which featured Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits’ leader, presenting his new album exclusively. That year, he directed commercials and video clips including Edoardo Bennato’s "Mastro Geppetto" and official videos for the "imagined masterpieces" series: Gino Paoli’s "Una lunga storia d’amore" and Rino Gaetano’s "Gianna."
In 2019, Salvati directed commercials and videos from the "imagined masterpieces" series, as well as Renato Zero’s new video "La vetrina." He produced cultural and musical events such as the Comacchio Beach Festival, which featured Anastacia’s only 2019 performance worldwide. He served as artistic director of IMAGinACTION for the third consecutive year.
In 2020, representing the entire Italian discography, Salvati persuaded the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, to enact a law granting tax credits for music videos, officially recognizing them as works of art. That year, he was artistic director of IMAGinACTION for the fourth time, organizing the world’s largest drive-in festival. He continued producing and directing "imagined masterpieces," including Paolo Conte’s "Via con me," which was screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival.
