About
Valerio was born in Rome and graduated with a major in Communication Sciences from La Sapienza University with a thesis on Jean Rouch and ethno-fiction. In 2011 he moved to New York City to attend documentary classes at New York Film Academy. In 2012 he developed and directed original content for i-Italy airing on NYC Life (WNYE-DT1). Since 2013 he has worked across the country as a freelance video-maker and camera operator for international news broadcasters Rai, Sky, Mediaset, HRT and TVI. Under the umbrella of the production company Awen Films, he has directed award-winning documentary shorts and other non-fiction productions – and initiated a long-term collaboration with Centro Primo Levi, which gave rise to the web-doc series “CPL minidocs,” a video-installation for “Rome Lab” at the Center for Jewish History, and the 30-minute documentary “Iom Romì,” which premiered at the 2017 New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center. His first feature film, “If Only I Were That Warrior,” was awarded the 2016 Italian Golden Globe and aired on public television in Italy (Rai Storia) and Switzerland (RSI La2). His latest feature documentary, “Mister Wonderland,” premiered at Festival dei Popoli in November 2019, where it won the "Il Cinemino" Award.