Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo/AFP
Film. Fashion. Life — and not necessarily in that order.
I am a journalist, moderator for Q&As and In Conversations, as well as a press mentor to filmmakers. I was born in Florence, Italy of German and Italian parents, and grew up in NYC. For the second year in a row, I’m an international voting member of the Golden Globes. Change the world through cinema, I say!
In fact, cinema with a conscience and fashion with a passion… for the environment. Those are my causes.
I've written about Indian films, cinema from the MENA and world culture for a number of publications, including Vogue Italia, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, The National, Screen International, Flaunt, The Art Newspaper, Empire Arabia, Cosmopolitan Middle East, Tehelka, FirstPost, Shawati' Abu Dhabi, Tatler Homes Singapore and AVS TV, where I was also an on-air reporter. During my years there, I covered film festivals, NY Fashion Week and interviewed Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities. For Beirut-based luxury magazine Bespoke, I have written articles on such diverse subjects as shoe designer Christian Louboutin, Arab arts in the US, Palestinian writer Rula Jebreal and the Tata buyout of Jaguar Land Rover. From 2011 to 2018 I blogged regularly about film, fashion and food on the Huffington Post USA and occasionally on l'Huffington Post Italia.
In the Spring of 2021 I co-founded a website called Moving Image Middle East which talked about culture, lifestyle, fashion and of course, cinema in the Region. I sold it in the Spring of 2023. The new owner shut it down, unable to run it without me. These days, I occasionally write for Screen International and Flaunt magazine in LA. I’ve recently started writing for a new outlet I’m very excited about — CULTUR.art, the website of London-based The Arts Society.
With Meg Ryan during our Conversation at the Locarno Festival
I also write in Italian, as well as speak it fluently.
As my work interests shift, I’ve found myself moderating a few talks and panels, as well a mentoring younger filmmakers on how to meet the press and make a great impression.
At the 2018 Locarno Festival, I moderated a chat with America's sweetheart, actress Meg Ryan.
In Conversation with Ralph Fiennes at the Cairo International Film Festival
During the 40th editon of the Cairo International Film Festival I moderated the engrossing “In Conversation with Ralph Fiennes”. And in 2020, via Zoom, a fascinating, socially distanced and perfectly actual masterclass with Russian auteur Andrei Konchalovsky, which appeared on the big screen of the Cairo Opera House.
I’ve also conducted some Academy Awards campaigns, online, and chatted virtually with maverick photographer Brigitte Lacombe for a DFI 2021 Qumra masterclass.
