Short film Archivi - Samantha Casella

Songs of innocence and experience

Songs of innocence and experience (2025)

Video art created on the occasion of the publication of William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience,” translated by Giuseppe Conte and plates by Domenico Paladino.

William Blake’s enchantment accompanies a symbolic journey. Innocence is never pure: it corrupts, it wears away like a child’s feet worn out by walking through time. Flowers turn into crosses, milk challenges blood-stained water.
A reel of film rewinds, as if rewriting memory. Dolls and puppets, silent spectators, seem more alive than the hill with the Hollywood sign. It is a dream that shatters, a visual ritual where experience does not erase innocence: it transforms it.

Directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Music by
PINO JODICE

Cinematographer
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Produced by
LAMBERTO FABBRI for IL CENACOLO DELLE ARTI

Short film

The Antithesis of Love

The Antithesis of Love (2022)

Inspired by the biblical work “The Song of Songs” by King Solomon; “Antithesis of Love” is consists of seven chapters who explore the emotional contrasts in the heart and mind of a woman while goes through seven feeling stages: waiting, research, purity, passion, pain, sense of belonging and eternity.

Watch on YouTube

Press book

Directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Starring
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Music by
PINO JODICE

Cinematographer
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Edited by
TREVOR BISHOP

Camera Operators
TOM SOUZA, TARYN ELLIOTT, VOVA KRASILNIKOV

Produced by
LAMBERTO FABBRI for IL CENACOLO DELLE ARTI

Short film

To a God Unknown

To a God unknown (2020)

“To a God Unknown” is a journey within some poetic verses by Sergey Esenin and Arthur Rimbaud intertwining with a novel by John Steinbeck. To join each other are primordial elements such as the water, blood, fire, love and God.

Press book

Produced by
THE WILD BUNCH

Written and directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Starring
BRIAN WITT (Jospeh)
SAMANTHA CASELLA (woman – donna)

Cinematography
FRANK HOFFMAN

Music & Sound Design by
MASSIMILIANO LAZZARETTI
TATIANA MELE

Edited by
TREVOR BISHOP

Special Effects
NASSIM FARIN
ARSENIY GUTOV
LARIO TUS
ANNA FRIGO

Voices Over
VIACHESLAV SYNGAEVSKIY
RICHARD LLOYD STEVENS
FRÉDERIC BERNARD

Production design and painting
CLAUDIA DREI

Year
2020

Running Time
9’

Awards

To A God Unknown has won over 200 international awards including:

Award of Merit Best Film Short e Women Filmakers at Accolade Global Film Competition (La Jolla, United States)

Best Short al International Independent Film Award (Los Angeles, United States)

Best International Short at Toronto Short Film Festival (Toronto, Canada)

Best Experimental Short at Metropolitan Film Festival (New York, United States)

Best Experimental Film and Best Director at Brazil International Film Festival (Rio de Janeiro, Brasile)

Best Experimental Film at Royal Society of Picture Award (Chennai / Los Angeles, India / United States)

Best Experimental Short Film and Best Director at International Motion Picture Critics Award (Los Angeles, United States)

Gold Award at Hollywood Gold Awards

Best Short at Venus Community Award

Best Inspirational Film at International World Photography Award

Honorable Mention at Japan International Film Festival

Full list

Short film

I am Banksy

I am Banksy (2019)

A ruthless journalist is willing to do anything to discover Banksy’s identity. Unaware of the signs of danger that emerged along the way, he will bump into an ambiguous reality where truth and lies are confused with each other.

Press book

Produced by
THE WILD BUNCH

Written and directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Starring
MARCO IANNITELLO (Journalist)
CATERINA SILVA (Anubi)
DIEGO VERDEGIGLIO (Antonio Cicala)
ROBERTO RIZZONI (Gallerist)
MIRKO CIORCIARI (Gary Mason)
MATTEO FIORI (Blind Man)

Cinematography
CHRISTIAN BALDUCCI

Music & Sound Design by
MASSIMILIANO LAZZARETTI

Live recording and Sound Editor
DANILO ORTELLI

Production Design and Costume Design
ALESSANDRO METTAN

Edited by
TREVOR BISHOP

Illustrations
PIKI

Make Up Artist
CLAUDIO GRAZIANI
CLAUDIA RIGHINI
NICOLETTA GUAGNELLI

Year
2019

Running time
15’ 36’’

Awards

Golden State Film Festival: Best International Short Film

Gulf of Naples Film Festival: Best Director

Silicon Beach Film Festival: Best Sound

Olympus Film Festival: Best Mystery Short

Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards: Best Foreign Short

Los Angeles Theatrical Release Competition & Award: Best International Short

Marina Del Rey Film Festival: Best International Short

Salerno International Film Festival: Special Mention

Berlin Underground Film Festival: Best Woman Director

Cinemagic Film Festival: Award of Excellence

Accolade Global Film Competition: Award of Excellence Best Woman Director

Vegas Movie Award: Award of Merit Best Director, Award of Best Originale Score

Short film

Ágape

Ágape (2010)

Since child, Jacopo is obsessed to a face of woman that, in the reality, he has never seen. For Jacopo, that face, is “Agape”, the pure love.

Produced, written, directed and editing by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Starring
GIOVANNI IZZO (Jacopo)
MARINA ROCCO (Ágape)
PAOLO STELLA (Joker / Bookseller)
RITA GALLEGATI (Jacopo’s Mother)
EMANUELE BERTINI (Jacopo Child)

Cinematography
CHRISTIAN BALDUCCI

Music
PAOLO PAGNANI

Production Design & Costume Design
STEVE ALMERIGHI

Paiting
CLAUDIA DREI

Year
2010

Running time
26’

Awards

Nettuno Film Festival: Audience Award

Short film

Dies irae

Dies irae (2009)

Confession of a man on the edge of the abyss.

Regia
Samantha Casella

Soggetto e sceneggiatura
Samantha Casella

Fotografia
Samantha Casella

Montaggio
Samantha Casella

Musiche
David Darling

Starring
Matteo Fiori

Anno
2009

Durata
5’ 30’’

Short film

L’opportunità

https://www.samanthacasella.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/8-L-opportunita.jpg

The opportunity (2008)

Paolo is a waiter with a vocation for writing: he is in fact writing a diary centered on his platonic loveto Francesca. One evening Paolo saves Jacopo from a suicide attempt. This meeting will represent for Paolo the opportunity of his life.

Produced by
HAPPY DAYS EVENTI

Directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Written by
SAMANTHA CASELLA & RAFFAELE SCALESE

Starring
ALBERTO TORDI (Paolo)
FRANCESCA CECI (Francesca)
PAOLO STELLA (Jacopo)
MARINA ROCCO (Woman)
GIOVANNI IZZO (Narrator)
GIACOMO GONNELLA (Gardener)

Cinematography
MAURO FALOMI

Music
FRANCESCO PERRI

Production Design & Costume Design
PATRIZIA CAMPANILE

Edited by
JUAN SEBASTIAN ALVAREZ

Year
2008

Running time:
15’

Awards

Nettuno Film Festival: Best Artistic Cast

Short film

Giro di giostra

A turn of a merry-go round (2006)

Sebastian is torn between his sister’s morbid obsession with him and the platonic love for a girl he meets in chat.

Produced written and directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Starring
GIOVANNI IZZO (Sebastian)
EVELYN CASAMASSIMI (Sister)
DANIELE FERRARI (Friend)
RITA GALLEGATI (Mother)
DAVIDE GEMMANI (Uncle)

Cinematography
ANDREA PEDNA

Music
PAOLO PAGNANI

Sound
MARCO PAROLLO

Production Design
CLAUDIA DREI

Edited by
DOMENICO GIOVANNINI

Year
2006

Running time
50’

Awards

Presented at the 63 Venice International Film Festival in the section Venice Film Meeting.

Bergamo International Film Festival: III Pryze

European Film Festival: Special Jury Award for the Best Director

Short film

Iris

Iris (2005)

A soldier. A kamikaze. A woman. An iris flower assists the crossing of their destinies.

Produced by
MEDEA FILMS

Directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Written by
SAMANTHA CASELLA & RAFFAELE SCALESE

Starring
ELISABELLA ROCCHETTI (Woman)
GIOVANNI IZZO (Soldier)
MOSAID MOHAMED TOHAR (Kamikaze)

Cinematography
DANIELE BUCCI

Production Design
CLAUDIA DREI

Costume Design
NORINA BANDINI

Edited by
ANDREA PEDNA

Year:
2005

Running time
8’ 20’’

Awards

Peace Dialogues Film Festival: Best Film

Bari Film Festival: Best Soundtrack

Alfoncine Film Festival: Best Film

Adriatic Film Festival: Critics Award

Careas Award: Best Film, Best Director

Short film

Silenzi interrotti

Interrupted silence (2004)

Three women seem to fall into a timeless place: it is the end of their life.

Produced by
MEDEA FILMS

Directed by
SAMANTHA CASELLA

Written by
SAMANTHA CASELLA & RAFFAELE SCALESE

Starring
VALENTINA VALSANIA (Woman)
RAFFAELLA PONZO (Woman)
PIERA DABIZZI (Woman)
BRUNO CASALBONI (Demon)
CHIARA BERTONI (Demon)
GIANNI ANDREI (The Man of Destiny)

Cinematography
EMILIO BAGNASCO

Camera Operator
NICOLA GAMBERI

Production Design
ANGELO GRASSI

Costume Design
NORINA BANDINI

Edited by
MARCO GIANSTEFANI

Year:
2004

Running time
11’

Awards

Bari Film Festival: Best Film

Massimo Troisi European Cinema Award: Best Director

Roma Film Festival Soul of Paper: Best Film

In concorso al “Ronchester International Film Festival (New York) and “Vancouver Short Film Festival”.

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