Nephew of Massimo Troisi, artistic heir to an Oscar-winning family
Stefano Veneruso is a particularly dynamic and versatile figure in the Italian artistic scene, able to move naturally between cinema and theatre. He comes from a family that has been involved in filmmaking for over 40 years, with five Oscar nominations, one Academy Award win, and a BAFTA for the film The Postman – Il Postino. In this context, he began working with Massimo Troisi in production and later as an assistant director on the set of The Postman – Il Postino.
On the international stage, Veneruso is a producer and one of the directors of All the Invisible Children, a collective film produced and directed together with Ridley Scott, Spike Lee, Emir Kusturica, and John Woo. The film, distributed in over 120 countries, achieved great international recognition, opening the Venice Film Festival and being acknowledged among the 10 most important anthology films in cinema history.
One of the recurring themes in his work is the focus on cultural memory, particularly that connected to Massimo Troisi. In 2019, he created the theatrical show Troisi Poeta Massimo along with a multimedia exhibition produced with Cinecittà – Istituto Luce. In 2022, he curated the exhibition The Faces of Massimo Troisi on the occasion of Procida Italian Capital of Culture.
Throughout his career, he has worked as a director, screenwriter, and producer on numerous documentaries, music videos, and theatrical productions, collaborating with prominent artists such as Giancarlo Giannini, Franco Califano, Tina Turner, Elisa, Massimo Bonetti, John Lynch, Massimo Troisi, and others.
In 2022, he directed Starting tomorrow I’ll get up late, a film inspired by Troisi’s life, starring John Lynch and Gabriella Pession, enriched by an unreleased song performed by Pino Daniele. The film, available on RaiPlay, was presented in prestigious institutional venues, selected at the Giffoni Film Festival, and received the Charlot Award 2023.
In recent years, he also created the docufilm Il Postino – A look inside, and published the book Massimo Troisi – Il mio verbo preferito è evitare (Rizzoli), winner of the Charlot Award as Book of the Year.
In 2025, he also directed the film The years of the father, starring Massimo Bonetti, intended for international distribution.
Alongside his artistic work, Veneruso has held important institutional roles, such as serving as president of the Premio Massimo Troisi (2019–2020) and participating in juries and cultural and charitable initiatives.
His education in Los Angeles (UCLA and AFI), along with collaborations on major productions such as Gangs of New York by Martin Scorsese and The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, has contributed to shaping his international profile.
Hello Stefano Veneruso, welcome to Blackbird News! What does cinema mean to you today?
To me, cinema is still an act of love, but also an act of resistance. In a time when everything moves quickly, cinema forces you to stop, to look, to truly listen. It is not just about telling stories; it is also about creating a space where people can recognize themselves, even without knowing each other.
Cinema is fragile because it depends on the gaze of others, but precisely for this reason, it is alive. It is a language that constantly evolves in formats, media, and platforms, yet it retains something ancient: the human need to share emotions. It is also a way to open windows and reflect on delicate and urgent issues such as femicide, violence, conflicts, wars, and love. And this is where cinema can become powerful.
What is your latest work, and what has it left you with?
My latest work is the film The years of the father, co-written with Anna Pavignano (Oscar-nominated for Il Postino) and produced by Barbara Di Mattia – 30Miles Film, in co-production with Giulietta Revel – Piebald Film.
It tells the story of an Orthodox Jewish young man and is a journey into identity, the relationship with family, roots, and traditions, choosing an intimate yet universal dimension. It stars, among others, Massimo Bonetti, Daniel Bondì, Lee Levi, Florence Nicolas, and Arianna Aloi.
It was an intense and deeply personal project that gave me a lot on a human level. It also faced some challenges in production and distribution, but it remains a project I am deeply proud of one of those that reminds you why you do this job.
Today, making films seems increasingly complex: what are the main challenges in production and distribution?
Today, it is not enough to make a film; it is increasingly difficult to bring it to the audience. Finding investors and distributors has become very complicated. Cinema attendance is also declining, both for economic reasons and due to more individual viewing habits.
We have become unaccustomed to the experience of the theatre, the collective ritual that makes cinema and theatre something unique and unrepeatable. Streaming platforms, which I jokingly call “flat forms,” have expanded access and opportunities, and that is a positive aspect. At the same time, they shift attention toward a more individual and immediate consumption, reducing the magic of the shared darkness of the theatre.
Your theatrical show “Troisi Poeta Massimo,” on stage for over ten years, is a tribute to a beloved figure of Italian cinema: how did the idea come about?
I tell the story of Massimo Troisi, my uncle, the one who made you laugh softly and then, without you even realizing it, had already explained life to you. That is where it all began: from the desire to give the audience back his voice, his gaze, his way of observing the world.
On stage, it becomes an intimate story, the man who spoke about love without rhetoric, who dismantled clichés with lightness, who carried Naples within him without ever turning it into a stereotype. It is a journey through theatre, cinema, and memory, featuring unseen behind-the-scenes images from Il Postino. There is also music, which I consider a fundamental part of the show. Together with musicians and singers, I bring back the songs Troisi wrote with Pino Daniele and with La Smorfia, accompanied by the melodies of Armando Trovajoli and Luis Bacalov.
The show is lively and entertaining, but at the same time, you can feel Massimo’s poetry, depth, and irony, just like in his works.
The show is performed, written, and directed by me and produced by Barbara Di Mattia. On April 20, we will be on stage at Teatro Parioli Costanzo, one of the most iconic theatres in Italy.
New dates across Italy are coming soon. Institutions, theatres, and distributors interested in hosting the show can contact us.
Info & Contacts:
Barbara Di Mattia
www.30milesfilm.com
