CAMILLA SALVATORE



Resistance often reveals unexpected forms of poetry. I call it collateral beauty.
The people I portray are not mere subjects, but integral parts of my life. Through cinema, I pay homage to the love we shared amidst adversity.
These films are testaments to those who fight with the greatest dignity.


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Il Capitone
2024

Set in Napoli, Il Capitone offers a glimpse into the daily life of Vanessa, portraying the struggle to claim her place in the world. Vanessa’s coming-of-age story runs through mundane and dreamlike states, sensual dances and songs of salvation. Il Capitone touches the depths of her existence—as well as that of her mother Lina and her lifelong friend Ciro— celebrating their quest for redemption through self-expression and performing arts. The film’s intent is to give them the chance to represent and express themselves in total freedom. The writing of the film is also the result of a collaborative effort: Vanessa, Lina and Ciro helped stage all the sequences, bringing their talents into play.

Documentary
60' - Color - Italy
Italian, Neapolitan

with Vanessa Esposito, Rachele Gianniello, Ciro Riccio
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore
produced by Tyche Films, A Little Confidence
producers Camilla Salvatore, Raffaella Milazzo, Valerio Antonini, Pietro Torcolini
cinematography Bianca Peruzzi
production sound Andrea Oppo
editing Rosa Maietta
sound editing and mixing Massimo Mariani
original score Ciro Vitiello, Talpah, Nziria
graphics Dopolavoro Studio

Permanent Exile
2020

Permanent Exile reveals the story of a young woman forced into the Witness Protection Program due to her family's criminal past. Personal memories, imagination, shadows, and reflections create a fragmented portrait of her life. Her disembodied voice guides us on a profound journey of self-examination, uncovering her deepest thoughts, fears, and concerns. This film offers an intimate exploration of herself and her relationship with her loved ones, in an attempt to redefine a past marked by fear and isolation.

Documentary
15' - Color - UK/Italy
Italian, English

with Germana Frattini
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore
animation Giulio Scalisi
archive Germana Frattini
sound Renato Grieco
graphics Augusto Fabio Cerqua
supported by In Progress MFN, FilmaP, Goldsmiths University of London

20 Settembre
2018 - 2021

The film reflects on the lasting influence of our predecessors' lives on our present, blending memories, dreams, and synaesthesias to unravel the mystery of unrequited love.
As trauma is transmitted across generations, exploring its origins helps us better understand and foresee the future.
Starting from the psychogeography of Napoli's outskirts, I wove together ideas from Gramsci to Apichatpong Weerasethakul. I have never really abandoned that thought: my memories have taken on the patterns of the city's landscape, shaped by its topography. I reflected on the degradation of its environment brought on by Camorra's influence. How nature, despite everything, managed to survive: breaking through reinforced concrete, resisting asbestos, and thriving where humans never expected it to. How it reclaimed what we had naively thought was ours alone. Just as we adapted and grew, taking on the shape of the cages that confined us.

Documentary
9' - Color - Italy

cast Renato Avallone, Marta Lunetta
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore
camera Camilla Salvatore, Salvatore Pastore
sound Renato Grieco
film development and telecine Zenit Arti Audiovisive
color correction Stefano Barozzi/Start Milano

Quirino
2019

Quirino lives on the banks of the river Sarmento, near the Arbëreshë village of San Costantino Albanese. The film shows excerpts of daily life, without dialogues, only work dedicated to the construction of a classical musical instrument of the pastoral tradition of Southern Italy. In the background, the Sarmento river marks the cyclicality of time and its inexorable flow.

Documentary
8' - Color - Italy
Arbëreshë

with Quirino Valvano
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore
sound Renato Grieco
supported by ArtePollino, Matera Capitale Europea della Cultura


Un Inferno
2016

The tattoo artists lead us to the discovery of a lively and chaotic world: "an inferno", populated by contradictory characters, marked by stories that hide a grotesque aspect and the drama of existences pushed to the limit. There’s no judgment, hellish is the condition that strongly binds even the crudest aspects of existence with attachment to life. Each one has already been judged and sometimes even condemned. In the intimacy of the tattoo parlour we observe their tenacity and enthusiasm. Events unfold cyclically, and even the structure of the film, without moments of stagnation and with a circular conclusion, emphasises this continuity: a day that never ends but restarts equally every time.

Documentary
15' - Color - Italy
Neapolitan

with Giuseppe Fiorenza, Martina Damasco, Ciro Oliviero, Pasquale Garofalo, Elisa Vitiello, Arturo Damasco, Michele Borriello, Raimondo Bracale, Ilenia Perna, Federica Caso
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore
produced by Antonella Di Nocera/Parallelo 41
sound Ennio Donato
supported by Filmap Atelier del Cinema del Reale, ArciMovie, Parallelo 41


Franchino
2015

A reflection on the history of colonialism and mafia in Naples drove me to document the resilient communities that are still able to survive the urban and moral decay of the city. Franchino, my first short film, is set in Torre Annunziata, a town in the suburban Neapolitan aerea. It tells the story of a little theatre company made up of high school students and their elderly mentor, Franco. Theatre teaches them about the complex framework of spaces and roles at play beyond the stage, the continuous, poetic struggle of a town against institutional neglect and organised crime unfolds.

Documentary
15' - Color - Italy
Italian, Neapolitan

with Franco Balzano, Davide Cristiano, Luca Grassano, Antonio Longobardi, Asia Neri, Francesco Esposito, Ernesto Martellaro, Nunzio Vitiello, Gennaro Vitiello
written and directed by Camilla Salvatore


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bbo
Born 1993 and raised in Pompeii
Born 1993 and raised in Pompei
Born
Camilla Salvatore b. in Pompeii (Naples, IT)
is an artist filmmaker whose work intricately weaves personal narratives with broader social themes.
In 2023 she founded Tyche Films, a Naples-based production company, reflecting her commitment to fostering cinematic projects within her home region. Her work primarily comprises experimental documentaries, often created in collaboration with her friends and community, that explore the lives of individuals navigating complex social landscapes.

Education
2020 MA Artists' Film and Moving Image, Goldsmiths University of London (London, UK)
2015 BA Painting and Visual Arts, NABA (Milan, IT)

Film Festivals, Markets and Screenings
2025 Insolente Visioni/Spazio Z.I.A. (Milan, IT)
2025 Goldsmiths, University of London  (London, UK)
2025 Solo di Martedì/Cinema Greenwich (Rome, IT)
2025 The Poetic Lens/Millenium Film (NYC, US)
2024 Filmmaker Festival (Milan, IT) Awarded
2024 TACO! (London, UK)
2021 From A to Z/Via Farini (Milan, IT)
2021 SFC/Festival de Cannes (Cannes, FR)
2021 Art Days Napoli/Liza Leopardi (Napoli, IT)
2020 Filmmaker Festival (Milan, IT)
2019 Flip Project Space (Napoli, IT)
2018 Filmmaker Festival (Milan, IT) Awarded
2017 Lago Film Fest (Revine Lago, IT)
2017 Visions du Reél (Nyon, CH)
2017 Trieste Film Festival (Trieste, IT)
2016 Torino Film Festival (Turin, IT)
2015 Sonnenstube (Lugano, CH)

Collective Shows
2021 There is no time to enjoy the Sun/Fondazione Morra Greco (Napoli, IT)

Solo Shows
2021 A Soft Sonnet Is All The Strength I Have/Massimo (Milan, IT)

Residencies and Workshops
2024 UnionDocs Filmmaking Seminar/DocLisboa (Lisbon, PT)
2021 In Progress MFN (Milan, IT) Awarded
2018 L’immagine e la parola/Locarno Film Festival (Locarno, CH)
2017 In Progress MFN (Milan, IT) Awarded
2017 Atelier del Cinema del Reale/FilmaP (Napoli, IT)


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