Irene Dionisio
Turin, 1986.
Lives in Turin and works between Turin and Rome.
Filmmaker and artist.
She graduated cum laude in Philosophy of History and Aesthetics from the University of Turin and holds an First Level Mater Programme in Cinema and Philosophy from the UPJV in Amiens (France).
Furthermore, she participated in the research programme in Public Art - Situa.to (conceived by a.titolo and Andrea Bellini) developed by the curatorial collective a.titolo and in the Italian-French project Alcotra under the supervision of artist Luca Vitone.
Her artistic research, starting from historical and/or personal archives, focuses on social, cultural and political idiosyncrasies processed through very different means - ranging from film, video and installation to screen-printing.
Her works have been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in national and international museums and galleries. Among others: Magazzino Italian Art and ArtOmi - New York, Ocat - Shanghai, Museo d'arte Contemporanea - Rivoli, Accademia delle Belle Arti - Turin, Pac - Milan, Villa Arson - Nice, Palazzo Grassi - Venice, Museo Berardo - Lisbon, MamBo - Bologna, Centre d'Art Contemporain - Geneva and many others.
Her artistic production also includes the following filmography: La fabbrica è piena (2011), Sur les Traces de Lygia Clark (2012), Sponde (2015), which were screened at numerous international festivals (Turin Film Festival, Visions du Réel, Taiwan Film Festival, etc.) and received several awards (including the Filmmaker Prize, the Solinas Prize, the Scam Prize - France - and the Jury Prize at Cinema Verité in Iran). Her first film Le ultime cose (tempesta, Rai Cinema) was presented at the Venice Critics' Week and distributed by Istituto Luce Cinecittà in 2017. The film was screened in several international film festivals, among them Goteborg Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, Open Roads in New York, Solothurn Film Festival, Houston Film Festival, Durban Film Festival, Bucharest Film Festival and many others. It was nominated for a David di Donatello, a Golden Globe and won - among other awards - a Special Silver Ribbon for Screenplay in 2017.
She was artistic director of the historic LGBTQI festival - Lovers under the umbrella of the Museum of Cinema in Turin for three years (2017 - 2020). In addition, she has recently curated the artistic direction of the film arena at the Castello di Rivoli called Pestifera (2019-2020).
In 2020 she curated - on commission - the direction of Camera Chiara, one of the film episodes of the experimental project - between cinema and theatre - of the Teatro Stabile di Torino - Teatro Nazionale curated by Valerio Binasco. In 2021 she curated - on commission - the film portrait - produced by Gucci and Rai Teche - of Achille Bonito Oliva.
As a lecturer, she has run courses for various institutions: Teatro Stabile - Turin, Scuola Civica di Milano, Communication Sciences - United, NYU Film Academy, Head - Geneva, the Dicastero di Lugano and many others. She has recently published the book Lo sguardo del regista - Sugli innovatori del cinema italiano for De Agostini.
In 2020 she was awarded the Giuseppe Bertolucci Prize for Artistic Innovation and in 2021 she was awarded the American Dream for Artist Grant.
She is currently working on her second fiction film Idda produced by Kino Produzioni and she has finalised the production of the work A Very Italian Palazzo on the architecture of the Farnesina for the exhibition La grande visione italiana curated by Achille Bonito Oliva that will be showcased in the Italian Cultural Institutes of Singapore, New Delhi, Shanghai and Tokyo from February to August 2023.
EXHIBITIONS
2023 Arts and Human Rights, ONU - Ginevra curated by Ilaria Berardi; (Solo show) Come stai Antonio, Istituto Gramsci curated by Ilaria Bernardi; (Solo show) Geologia di un padre, Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti curated by Ilaria Bernardi, Turin; La Grande Visione Italiana, Singapore - Seoul - Tokyo - New Delhi - Shangai Embassy, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva; Opere di Carta, Museo della Carta - Pescia, curated by Ilaria Bernardi
2022 Espressioni con Frazioni, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Rivoli, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Marcella Beccaria, Marianna Vecellio and Fabio Cafagna with Anna Musini; The Futur Behind Us, Villa Arson, Nice, curated by Marco Scotini; Germination, Art Omi, Ghent - New York curated by Ilaria Bernardi
2021 Dialoghi con la catastrofe, Villa Sottocasa - Must, Milan curated by Maria Paola Zedda; (Solo show) Il pensiero in meno, Galleria delle Immagini, Polo del Novecento, Turin, curated by Ilaria Bernardi; The Digital Trauma, Digital Cosmo, Museum of Art Contemporary, Rivoli, curated by Giulia Colletti
2020 Mondo Nuovo, RaccontiPlurale, OGR, Turin, curated by a.titolo and Olga Gambari; The Digital Trauma, Digital Cosmo, Museum of Art Contemporary, Rivoli, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
2019 BIM 2018, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, curated by Andrea Bellini e Andrea Lissoni; Per un rinnovamento immaginista del mondo, Sala Fenoglio, Alba curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargievand Carolina Molteni; Piemonte Pavillon, Combo, Venice curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Marianna Vecellio; (Solo Show) - Proibitissimo Adiacenze curated by Giulia Simi; (Solo show) Saluzzo Rural Happening, APM- Saluzzo, curated by Igav and Rebecca De Marchi
2018 Young Italians, Institute of Italian Culture – New York, curated by Ilaria Bernardi; (Solo show) Proibitissimo – PAV, Turin, curated by Viola Invernizzi; (Solo show) Irene Dionisio – Art Lacuna, London, curated by Alex Duncan; Premio Fabbri curated by Carlo Sala - Treviso
2017 Piccola Patria, Galleria Moitre, Turin curated by Viola Invernizzi, Torino; (Solo show) Irene Dionisio, Premio Autofocus – Casa Gramsci, Turin curated by Olga Gambari
2016 Memorie – Villa Manin, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Udine
2015 Artissima – Zooart Prize, Turin curated by Ilaria Bonacossa; Mediterranea 17 – La fabbrica del vapore, Milan curated by Andrea Bruciati; Sinfonie Urbane – Forma Meravigli, Milan curated by Exposed Project; Cantieri D’Arte, Decostructing Reality Viterbo curated by Marco Trulli; OCAT – Glitch, Shangai, curated by Davide Giannella.
2014 I sentieri nascosti sono pieni di visioni addormentate – Cesac curated by a.titolo; Sinfonie Urbane, Careof, Milan, curated by Exposed Project; Diamanti, Careof, Milan curated by Chiara Agnello; Anni Zero, Galleria Bluorg, Bari curated by Marilena Di Tursi, Bari: Souvenirs de la mer, Institute of Italian Culture, Marseille, curated by Anna Chiara Cimoli; Premio Celeste Prize, Assab One, Milano curated by Lorenzo Benedetti; Glitch, PAC, Milano, curated by Davide Giannella.
EDUCATION
2005-2007 Actor School - Sergio Tofano – Diploma
2007 – 2010 Philosophy – Turin
2011 M1 Cinema and Philosophy – UPJV Amiens (Fr)
2020-21 CRPC - Fitzcaraldo (It)
GRANT/PRIZES
Finalist Rome Prize 2023; Special Mention - Bellaria Film Festival 2021; Special Mention Lydia Art Prize 2021; American Dream Fellowship for Artist 2021; Giuseppe Bertolucci Award 2020; Nipkow Programm Grant -Berlin 2020; RaccontiPlurale Grant 2020; ArtOmy Grant- New York 2020; Berlinale Talents Finalist – Script Station 2019; Finalist Fabbri 2018; Jury Award Villerupt (Fr) 2016; Jury Award Best Debut Ceau Romania 2017; Best Debut - Il Giornale - 2017; Finalist David Donatello 2017; Finalist Globi D'oro 2017; Best Script Nastri d'Argento 2017; Autofocus Award 2017; Jury Award Isreal 2015 Best Documentary; Jury Award Cine Verité Iran 2016; Jury Award Taormina Film Festival 2016; Finalist Artevisione 2016 curated by Careof; Zooart Prize 2015 curated by Ilaria Bonacossa; Prize My Movies Festival dei Popoli 2015; Prize Scam (Fr) 2014; Finalist Celeste Prize 2014; Grant Movin' Up 2014; Prize Solinas, 2012; Prize Filmmaker 2012- Nutrimenti celesti/Nutrimenti Terrestri; Best Debut Award Glocal 2012 Turin; Filmmaker 2011 Milan,; Jury Award Filmmaker Cgil Spi 2011, Milan.
RESIDENCIES
2022 Art Omi - Ghent, New York
2021 Cité des Arts, Paris; V_Air 2021, Milan
2020 Nipkow Programm, Berlin
2019 Berlinale Talents, Berlin
2016 Sulcis Hub curated by Olga Baschmidt and Bjcem, Cagliari; Residenza alpina curated by Arteco, Biella
2015 Sinfonie Urbane, Careof curated by Exposed Project, Milan
2014 Alcotra - Acteurs Transculturels curated by a.titolo, CESAC
2011 Situa.to - Turin curated by a.titolo
FESTIVALS
Ny Indipendent Film Festival 2022; Bellaria Film Festival 2021; Durban International Film Festival 2017; Feature Films Goteborg Film Festival 2017, New Voices; Moscow International Film Festival 2017:Time of Women; Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, American Lincoln Center 2017; Semana de Cine Italiano - Buenos Aires 2017; Solothurn Film Festival 2017; Panorama WorldFest-Houston 2017; Feature Film, Appuntamento con il cinema italiano - Istanbul 2016; Festival du Film de Villerupt 2016; Competition, Cinema Italia - Israele 2017; Cinema Italian Style - Seattle 2017; Isreal, Nuoro, 2016; Gottingen Film Festival, Gottingen, 2015; Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 2015; Filmmaker Film Festival, Milan, 2015; Sguardi Altrove, Milan, 2015; SalinaDoc, Salina, 2015; Filmmaker 2011 Milan; Glocal, Turin, 2012; Visions du Reel 2012, Nyon; Arcipelago Film Festival 2012, Rome, Italy; LongLake 2012, Lugano, Svizzera; Taiwan International Documentary Festival 2012,Taichung; Salina Doc Festival, Salina 2012; Cinemigrante, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2012; Labour Film Festival, Sesto San Giovanni, Milan 2012; Terra di Tutti, Bologna, Italy 2012; Terra di Cinema, Paris 2013; Docucity, Milan 2013; Festival du Cinema Italien, Paris 2013; Torino Film Festival, Turin, 2011; Front Doc, Aosta , Italy 2012; Da sodoma ad Hollywood Festival - Turin 2010; Tekfestival - Rome 2010; Pentadattilo Film Festival – Reggio Calabria 2010; Premio Libero Bizzari – Ancona 2010; Premio internazionale del documentario d'Abruzzo, Ancona, 2010.
SCREENINGS
Nation Museum of Cinema, Museum of Art Contemporary Rivoli, Cinema Dinamo - CACG, Zacheta National Gallery, Museo Berardo, Lisbon, SYB, Artist Residency Netherland, presented by Angela Serino, EESI, École européenne supérieure de l’image, Poitiers, presented by Alessandra Sandrolini, Mesopotamia, Milan, presentata da Alessandra Sandrolini, Cinema Illegal, Les Laboratoires d’Aubervillers, Parigi, presented by Francesca Zappia.
COLLECTIONS
Genesi Project, Milan, IT; Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli, IT; Art Omi Collection, New York, U.S.A.; Museo della Carta, Pescia, IT; Must, Milan, IT
WORKSHOP
2023 Circle, Media Europe, Montenegro
2023 IDM - Racconti, Film Commission Alto Adige- Turin Film Lab, Bozen
2021 Workshop with Jacopo Milani, VAIR 2021;Workshop VR Experience thanks to Premio Solinas/Red Shoes UK
2020 Ben Gipson, Petra Padberg, Petra Kashmiry and Berlinale Talents Team for Nipkow Programm
2016 Workshop Artevisione with Adrian Paci, curated by Careof; EFA,Young Talents, Kosovo curated by European Film Award
2014 Workshop with Luca Vitone and Saâdane Afif - Alcotra curated by a.titolo, Gap, France; Workshop Sinfonie Urbane, curated by Careof, O’, Exposed Project, Milan
2012 Lab Filmmaker Nutrimenti terrestri nutrimenti celesti, Fondazione Cariplo, Via Farini, Milan
2011 Master Ied “Ideazione al femminile” with the artistic direction of Bruno Oliviero and Alina Marazzi, IED Milan
2010 Master Fare Cinema, Bobbio (BO), artistic direction Marco Bellocchio, Daniele Segre, Bobbio; Situa.to curated by a.titolo, Maurizio Cilli and Andrea Bellini,Turin
TALKS (SELECTED)
2023
Radio Tre Festival, Il domani dell'arte, Bolzano, Italy
Cinema Popescu, Cinefemina, Bucarest, Romania
Cinema Massimo, Psycodrame, Turin, Italy
2022
Pasolini Hall - National Theatre, Festival delle Colline Torinesi, Turin, Italy
Amaci, Contemporary Museum Day, Museum of Art Contemporary, Rivoli, Italy
Glitch Hub, Pistoletto Foundation, Biella, Italy
Migration Festival, Polo del Novecento, Turin, Italy
Germination, IIC, Washington, U.S.A.
Germination, IIC, New York, U.S.A.
Le vie della pace, Resistance Museum , Turin, Italy
Mondo Nuovo, Museum of Art Contemporary, Rivoli, Italy
Ninetto Davoli and Pier Paolo Pasolini, Lumière Institut, Lyon, France
Cultural Work, University of Turin, Hangar Piemonte,Turin, Italy
2021
Art and politics, Cinema Massimo, Turin
Defining Creativity, TEDx, Biella
Purple Meridians, TFF, Turin
Purple Meridians, Edipo Re/Venice Biennale, Venice
Minus Though, Polo del Novecento, Turin
The Digital Trauma, Museum of Art Contemporary Rivoli, Rivoli
Words and Desire, Centro Pecci, Prato
JURY
Festival dei Popoli 2021, Firenze
Cervinia Mountain Festival 2021, Cervinia
Berlinale Blogger 2021, Berlin/Turin
Jobs Films Day 2020, Turin
Front Doc 2019, Aosta
Terra di tutti 2019, Bologna
Migranti Film Festival 2019, Turin
Mostra del Cinema di Venezia – Premio Giovani Autori Siae 2019, Venice
Perso 2018, Perugia
SeeYou Sound 2018,Turin
Pesaro Film Festival 2018,Turin
Isreal 2018, Nuoro
Lucca Film Festival 2018, Lucca
Via Emilia Doc Festival 2017, Modena
Carbonia Film Festival 2016, Carbonia