# Lorenzo Muscoso

Lorenzo Muscoso (Catania, 30 September) is an Italian director, author and journalist.

## Biography

Lorenzo Muscoso graduated in 2011 on the major of Cinema, Critic and Multimedia Production in DAMS of the University of Roma 3, with a bachelor thesis on Paolo Sorrentino and the Rossellini Audiovisual Institute.
He made his directorial debut in 2008, participating in a contest promoted by Negramaro and Jovanotti for the production of the video "Safari Remix" at which was attributed a social connotation.
In 2009 he wrote and directed "Emozioni senza barriere" (Emotions without boundaries), a short film that relates to the disability and the emotions, project for which Muscoso received an award for the social journalism, published also from the Corporate Bracco as a contribution for the cultural development on the social problems. The film received the Special Mention at the Sicilian Miami Fest and the Oscar for the best short film at the Festival del nema dello scettroo.
In 2010, in collaboration with the actor Enrico Lo Verso and the musician Gabriele Denaro, he created the work Sensibilità Sonore, dedicated to topics such as marginalization, poverty and childhood. The following year, he produced the documentary "Il rimorso" (the remorse), a video that narrates violence against the women. The project was being projected every year during national conferences in various Italian cities and received an award for the Social Communication. The journal Fatto Quotidiano considered it as "a virtuous example that denounces the wrong". It was previewed at the Camera dei deputati della regione Lazio (Chamber of Deputies of the Region of Lazio) and introduced the conference "Lui per Lei - un ponte fra Napoli e New York" at the city Partenopea and at the municipality of Fiumincino by the iniziative of the Assesorato alle politiche sociali (Department of social policies) as well as the event "Io non ci sto più" (I am non there anymore) dedicated to the memory Eligia Ardita, a victim of a femicide act.
In 2013 he directed the documentary "Streghe a Pachino: Un caso giornalistico irrisolto" (Witches at Pachino: An unsolved journalistic case), recovering after 50 years, a mysterious fact initially narrated by Beppe Ferrara in 1963 that burst a war between the media, the politics and the omertà. The same year he films three special documentaries about Mario Sesti, Sergio Donati and the musician Mauro Di Domenico. He carried out interviews with personalities from the show business, created web projects, such as the ObamaStay, a project that promotes and supports the election of the American president, which received the appreciation from the Woman for Obama and from the Electionpaper, concerning the Italian elections reported by the press agencies Agi and RAI.
He wrote for the Sindacato Nazionale di Critica (National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics). He contributed in the distribution of the film "Midway" and with the production company Arbash for the film "Blaise''. He was responsible for the communication for the New World of the Cirque du Soleil in one of their stops in Sicily, for the direction of the Euro-Mediterranean award that took place at the Campidoglio in Rome and the artistic coordination of the Western Fest of Orvieto and the Indie Media Fest. From 2014 he is devoted actively for the promotion of the Patrimonio Verghiano, redeveloping the historical Cunziria, the original film location of the famous Cavalleria Rusticana, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and inspiration scenery of the homonymous novel of the writer Giovanni Verga. Muscoso eventually turned the ancient village into a stage denominating it Teatro Cunziria.
In 2014 in collaboration with the American Naval air station of Sigonella, he came up with the socio-cultural iniziative project "Marines meet Verga", an operation for the rural development of the Cunziria, constructing a fence inside the area. The action was repeated in 2016 and 2017 with the newer operation "Marines revisit Verga" that completes the internal fencing. Those projects attracted the interest of the United States Department of Defense which attributed him two recognition awards for his iniziatives.
He wrote, directed and adapted in the location various theatrical operas such as "Il Duello", based on the famous duel between Alfio e Turiddu receiving great success from the public and the press, the "Presepe Verghiano" and the itinerant opera "Romazo Verghiano'".
In 2016 he assumes the artistic direction of the Festival Verghiano, on the occasion of the Verghiane, the historical manifestations that began in 1967 by the director Alfredo Mazzone, producing ten days of theatrical operas that placed a Vizzini and Catania. For the occasion he realized a 10-day theatrical, film and cultural event, some of which were the opera "La lupa", performed in the location where the film adaptation by Gavriele Lavia was staged, the 4th edition of the Romanzo Verghiano and Cultura Verghiana. For the occasion he also directed the operas Jeli il Pastore, I Malavoglia, La Roba e Storia di una Capinera. Moreover, in collaboration with the Superintendence of cultural heritage of Catania, realizes the theatrical performances ''Frammenti rusticani in scena'' at the Palazzo Vaccarini.
In April 2017 he promoted the educational project Cultura Verghiana, where more than 2000 students from middle, senior high schools and universities participated, including US High Schools and Erasmus scholars. The initiative receives the appreciation of the Minister of Education Valeria Fedeli and is supported by the European Parliament with the praise of the President Antonio Tajani and Petra kammerevert, President of the European Commission of Culture.
The Festival Verghiano 2017 had as a ''godmother'' the actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta who receives a Career Award. The festival was attended by about 1,500 people. The director Lorenzo Muscoso staged Jeli il pastore, in a version inspired by Amlets' madness and the drama of La Lupa. The event concludes with the Verga Film Festival, an event that celebrates the real and social cinema with many guests of the world of the entertainment.
On September of the same year, he launched the initiative in various cities within the world of the "Infiorata Rusticana", floral compositions that narrate the myth of Cavalleria Rusticana and other novels of the writer Giovanni Verga as long as the photographic exhibition ''Frammenti Rusticani'', initiatives dedicated to Giovanni Verga and promoted by the director on the occasion of the nomination of Sicily as a Capital of Culture for the year 2018.

## Cinema
### Direction, Screenplay, Production

* Safari Remix (Contest - 2008)
* Emozioni senza barriere (2009)
* Il Rimorso (2011)
* Prospettive Filosofiche nella critica cinematografica (2013)
* I Riflessi dell’Anima Sonora (2013)
* C’era una volta il Western (2013)
* Streghe a Pachino (2013)
* Cavalleria Rusticana (2020)
* La Lupa (2020)
* Jeli, Il Pastore (2020)
* Il Poeta di Campagna (2021)
* Presepe Verghiano (2020 - 2022)
* Leggende Rusticane (2022)
* Io e Paolo (2023)
* Babà (2024)

### Actor

* La banda dei supereroi (2014)

## Theater
### Direction, Screenwriter, Production

* Cavalleria Rusticnaa (2014)
* Romanzo Verghiano (2014 - 2018 - 2020)
* Presepe Verghiano (2014 - 2017)
* La lupa (2016-2019)
* La Roba (In 1st Romanzo Verghiano) (2015)
* Nedda (In 1st Romanzo Verghiano) (2015)
* Rosso Malpelo (ln 1st Romanzo Verghiano) (2015 - 2022)
* Jeli il Pastore (ln 3rd and 4th Romanzo Verghiano) (2016)
* I Malavoglia (In 3rd Romanzo Verghiano) (2016)
* Jeli il Pastore - The drama (2017 - 2019)
* I racconti dell'anima - The drama (2018 - 2019)
* Io sono Impastato - Monologue(2019)
* Mastro Don Gesualdo (2021 - 2024)
* La Sicilia Ribelle (2022)
* Cavalleria Rusticana Lyric Version (2022)
* Capinera (2022)
* Giancarlo Siani (2023 - 2024)
* Tra terra e mare (2024)
* L'uomo con il fiore in bocca (2024)

## Artistic direction and coordination

* Premio Euromediterraneo Roma (2011)
* Catania Film Festival (2012)
* Western Festival (2012)
* Indie Media Fest (2012)
* Sapori Rusticani (2016-2017)
* Verga Film Fest (2016-2022)
* Festival Verghiano (2014-2020)
* Matera Rosa (2018)
* Matera- Tra Favole e Verità (2018)
* Capitani Coraggiosi (Tribute to Falcone and Borsellino) (2019-2024)
* Matera - Tramonto ai Sassi (2019)
* Gravina in Puglia - Festival del Cinema sul Ponte (2019)
* Matera Hollywood International Film Festival (2019 - 2020)
* Drone Film Festival (2020)
* Virtual Festival (2020)
* Sicily Hollywood Film Festival (2021)
* Verga 100 - National Centenary Event (2022 - 2024)
* AI Film Festival (2024)
* La Rustikana (2024)
* Cinescuola (2024)

## Book

* Il Primo Sorrentino (2020)
* Wild Movie West (2020)
* Le Verghiane (2020)
* Cavalleria Rusticana (2020)
* La Lupa (2020)
* Jeli il Pastore (2020)
* 1917 Il Film (2021)
* Verga 100 (2022)

## Conferences

* Camera dei Deputati Lazio “25 Novembre”" (Rome, 2013)
* Comune di Napoli “Him for She” (Napoli, 2014)
* Cinema Politeama Moderno “Io non ci Sto” (Pachino, 2015)
* Convegno contro il Femminicidio” (Aci S.Antonio, 2016)
* Istituto Tecnico Leonardo Da Vinci (Milazzo, 2017)
* La Sapienza University, Department of Neuropsychiatry (Rome, 2017)
* Cafè Culture (Sliema, Malta, 2017)
* Palazzo Lanfranchi “Matera Rosa” (Matera, 2018)
* University Unibas "Festival Verghiano (Matera, 2019)
* Wroclaw University "Verga Project (Poland, Breslavia 2020)
* Beograd Ethnographic Festival "Verga Centenary (Serbia, Beograd 2023)

## Social Activities

* Gerzia - Against violence on women (Italy - 2008 - 2024)
* Capitani Coraggiosi - (Italy, 2019 - 2024)

## Multimedia Social Project

* Obamastay (Usa, 2009)
* Election Paper (Italy, 2013)
* Expo Wall (Italy, 2015)
* Freedom Women (World, 2016)
* Joker Day (World, 2020)
* Canone Inverso (Italy, 2020)

## Awards

* 2008 : Fondazione Sodalitas - National award for the social journalism for the documentary Emozioni senza barriere
* 2009 : Festival Dello Stretto - Corto Oscar for the documentary Emozioni senza barriere
* 2010 : Festival S.Giovanni La Punta - Award for the communication of the project Rimorso
* 2014 : Comando Generale U.S Marines - Encomium from the commander of the U.S Marines for the project Marines meet Verga
* 2014 : Aci Galatea - Award 49° Aci Galatea
* 2016 : Ministero della Difesa Usa, Sigonella - Award for the project and the direction of the operation Marines Revisit Verga
* 2017 : Award to Lorenzo Muscoso for the operation Marines Rusticani
* 2022 : Award for Best Director (Premio Cinema Messina)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Tamizhagam International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Indie online film award)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Golden Horse film festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Diamond Bell film festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Director (Halicarnassus Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Director (Athvikvaruni International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Indie for you Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Director (Halicarnassus Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Makizhmithran International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Director (Makizhmithran International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (World Film Carnival Singapore)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Short (Indo Singapore International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Director (Indo Singapore International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best International Short (National Melbourne Benalla Short Film Festival )
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Rome Outkast Independent Film Award)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Istanbul Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Jakarta Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Mabig Film Festival Augsburg)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Monza Film Fest)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Green Island International Film Festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Navy international film festival)
* 2022 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Saudi Arabia Independent Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Focus Las Vegas Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (9th Benalla Short International Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (International Tourism Film Festival Africa)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Madonie Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Doha Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Io e Paolo for the Best Documentary (Monza Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Io e Paolo for the Best Script (Flaminio Film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Io e Paolo for the Best Documentary (Navy international film festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Cinematography (18° Hombres Videopoetry)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (II° Cascine Milano film Festival)
* 2023 : Award to Leggende Rusticane for the Best Film (Reale Milano Film Festival )
* 2024 : Award to Io e Paolo for the Best Documentary (Cefalù film festival)