Manuela Filomena
Manuela Filomena, MA in Film & Television (Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples), MA in Art & Design (Loughborough University, UK)
PhD Researcher in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University • Expert in Film and RV Production at the Mantinea Institute
Past Experience and Formation
Manuela Filomena is a film director and visual storyteller whose work is driven by a sustained engagement with human narratives, relational dynamics, and the ethical dimensions of cinematic representation. Her creative practice is rooted in a commitment to fostering meaningful communication through moving images, developed across a multidisciplinary academic and professional trajectory spanning Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States.
She holds an M.A. in Film & Television (2017) from Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples, where she graduated as Laureata Eccellente under the mentorship of Nicola Giuliano, Gianfranco Pannone, and Andrea Garello. She also earned an M.A. in Art & Design (2006) from Loughborough University (UK), which played a formative role in shaping her interdisciplinary approach, as well as a B.A. in Communication and Media (2004) from the University for Foreigners of Perugia.
Her technical and artistic training in filmmaking and editing was developed between the UK and Italy. She obtained a National Diploma in Media Production from City & Guilds of London (2003), completed a postgraduate course in Video Editing at NUCT Cinecittà in Rome (2008), and undertook training in diction and acting at the Cineteatro di Milano (2004). These experiences contributed to a sustained interest in editing as a central narrative space, where rhythm, emotion, and meaning converge.
Her professional career includes collaborations with leading figures in contemporary cinema. She co-wrote the screenplay Black Love with Franco Ferrini, worked on the set of the feature film LORO directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, and collaborated in Sweden with renowned editor Johan Söderberg, further refining her research into montage, rhythm, and the emotional power of editing.
Alongside her artistic work, her broader formation has been shaped by international experiences and ethical engagement. She collaborated with Chandra Prakash on the Coccoon project in India, supporting female entrepreneurship and the socio-economic empowerment of local weaving communities.
Current Engagements and Research
She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL), where her research examines dialogues among cultures, films, and literatures. Her scholarly work focuses on the ethics of the camera, investigating the filmmaker’s moral responsibility in the act of filming and the representation of reality. Drawing on Bill Nichols’s theoretical framework and the thought of André Bazin, she explores the boundary between cinematic testimony and the potential objectification of the “Other.”
As a filmmaker, she continues to develop a body of work that reflects both artistic evolution and ethical inquiry. Her filmography includes writing and directing the award-winning short film Goodbye Agnes (2017) and the feature film My FlorÍta (2025), projects that articulate a coherent vision of cinema as both narrative practice and ethical encounter.
Born and raised in southern Italy, she approaches both filmmaking and academic research with a strong sense of collaboration, grounded in the belief that creative and scholarly work must remain attentive to human dignity, relational responsibility, and shared cultural experience.
+39 351 359 7171
contact@mantinea.institute