PRESS — Susanna della Sala

WRITER & DIRECTOR

I’m an Italian writer, director and artist. Starting out as a doodler in the marshlands of the Po Valley, I found in filmmaking my most sincere and highest vocation. I graduated in Interior Design at Politecnico di Milano and at the Italian national film school Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

I gained experience working in the art department of several international film productions. I write, direct and sometimes perform in my films.
My path isn’t exactly traditional and linear. I have a strong predisposition for multidisciplinary and currently work as a director, writer, editor, set designer and illustrator. In the past I have worked as an interior designer, dancer and welder. Thanks to the work experience gained on film sets, I had the opportunity to discover directing which seemed to me to be the perfect synthesis between the roles of artist and technician, creator and professional.

Most of my films start from doodles and sketches. I like to invent worlds and characters, trying to tell unconventional and extraordinary human stories. I have always been interested in the theme of outsiders, marginalized individuals who, by choice or necessity, lead their lives far from a traditional society. My films The Fish Doctor, Wasteplanet, Last Stop before Chocolate Mountain and Wigs explore these themes.

In my creative process I tend to look for the magical and surreal element to underline the emotional and poetic aspect of the story and the character. I like to reinterpret the metaphorical element through a visual style often characterized by magical realism and fantastic elements.
Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain is my latest project – a documentary born from personal life experience that both tells the story and captures the spirit of Bombay Beach, a once abandoned town in the harsh California desert, where art heals people in the most unexpected ways. The film was selected to premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in 2022, it won 3 prizes at the Italian festival dei Popoli in Florence and it was shortlisted for the Italian Academy award David di Donatello in the Best Documentary category.

2024

2023

2022

WRITER & DIRECTOR