Biography
Marco Orsini is a writer, director, producer, and mentor who views audio-visual storytelling as a powerful tool to educate, advocate, and inspire. Puerto Rican by birth and a world citizen by conviction, Marco has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of filmmaking, humanitarian advocacy, and emerging talent development. Marco began his career in U.S. television, producing more than 60 hours of prime-time programming for networks including Fox Family, WB, Sony, Telemundo, and PAX TV before transitioning into documentary filmmaking. His award-winning films - including Gray Matters (2014), Beyond the Raging Sea (2019), and Latin Four Plus - have screened at major festivals worldwide, aired on television and VOD platforms, and been translated into multiple languages. His work has been recognised by leading industry publications including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Guardian. Latin Four Plus won the Audience Choice Award at the Orlando Film Festival and Best Documentary at the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival in 2023. Through his production company MoJo Entertainment, Marco has co-produced a slate of bold feature films reflecting his commitment to underrepresented voices and humanist storytelling - including Laundry (dir. Zamo Mkhwanazi, TIFF 2025), God's Work (dir. Michael James, Durban International Film Festival 2025), and Pour the Water as I Leave (dir. Daniela Repas), an animated hybrid documentary exploring the Bosnian War and the universal experience of displacement. In 2006, Marco co-founded the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), a Monaco-based NGO dedicated to discovering and nurturing filmmakers from emerging regions worldwide. After nearly two decades of operation, IEFTA closed in December 2025, having mentored scores of filmmakers from more than a dozen countries and formed partnerships with many of the world's most distinguished film festivals and institutions. In 2024, Marco established the International Emerging Film Talent Fund (IEFTF), an Athens-based philanthropic initiative supporting film ecosystems across the Global South. He has spearheaded partnerships with leading film institutions, most recently forging the collaboration between IEFTF and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) that launched the Safe Harbour initiative supporting displaced filmmakers. Since its launch, IEFTF has awarded over EUR100,000 in prizes to emerging filmmakers and supports annual cash awards at Cannes Docs, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the Close Up Pitching Forum, and the Amman International Film Festival. Marco has also produced media campaigns for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and has been recognised by the Arab Cinema Centre's prestigious "Golden 101" list of influential figures in Arab cinema. In March 2026, he served on the Mermaid Jury at the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and presented the IEFTF Award for Best Documentary in Development. He remains an active presence at major film festivals worldwide as a speaker, moderator, juror, and industry guest.
