Francesco (Francio) Mazza is an Italian writer, script-writer and director.

Career

From 1999 to 2001, he was a recurring guest on

Michele Santoro Michele Santoro (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian journalist, and television host and presenter. He also served till October 2005 as Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy with the United in the Olive Tree list, part of the Sociali ...

’s evening talk shows (''Circus, Il Raggio Verde'') aired on

Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, tal ...

. In September 2001 he moved to

Mediaset Mediaset Italia S.p.A., also known as Mediaset, is an Italian-based mass media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The company is controlled by the holding company MFE - MediaForEurope. Founded in 1987 by former ...

, becoming a reporter for the youth magazine ''Mosquito'' aired on

Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...

. In 2003 he joined the crew of TV writer and producer Antonio Ricci. In 2005, he was one of the writer of '' Striscia la notizia'' (aired on

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a s ...

). He also worked on some Striscia’s spin-offs, such as ''Paperissima Sprint'' and '' Le Nuove Mostre''. In 2011, he was a script-writer of ''Big End'', a sketch-com that aired on

Rai 4 Rai 4 (pronounced ''Rai Quattro'') is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. Launched on 14 July 2008 with the film ''Elephant'', Rai 4 targets youths with ...

. After leaving Striscia in 2012, he graduated in filmmaking in New York in 2013. In 2015, he wrote and directed the short film ''

Frankie (Italian Roulette) ''Frankie (Italian Roulette)'' is a short film written and directed by Francesco Mazza, who also acts as the main character. It depicts the story of Italian immigrant Frankie Tramonto, struggling to survive in modern New York City among improba ...

'' in which he also acted as the main character. In 2016 it was nominated ("cinquina finalista") for a

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...

in Rome. The co-writer of ''Frankie (Italian Roulette)'' is New York-based director

Amos Poe Amos Poe is an American New York City-based director and screenwriter, described by ''The New York Times'' as a "pioneering indie filmmaker." Career Amos Poe is one of the first punk filmmakers and his film '' The Blank Generation'' (1976)—c ...

. He also wrote, directed and produced the TV documentary ''Graffiti a New York'' that premiered on Italian broadcaster

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

Arte HD on 20 November 2015. ''Graffiti a New York'' is presented by Italian journalist Federico Buffa and features some of the most relevant graffiti writers of all time, including the British photographer Jon Naar. Later on, the documentary screened at the

Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, it, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, italic=no, usually known as MACRO, is a municipal contemporary art museum in Rome, Italy. The museum is housed in two separate places: a former brewery in Via Nizza, ...

(MACRO). In 2017 he directed the short film ''Broken Eggs'', starring Michael Laurence and Nicole Arlyn, produced by Amos Poe. It screened at various festival in Italy and in the U.S. On 10 October 2017 his web series ''Estremi Rimedi'' ("Full measures") was released online: it won “best screenplay” and “best actor” at the 6th Rome Web Fest. In 2019 it won for "best Italian web series" at the Digital Media Fest. By December, 2021, all the episodes have amassed over 50 million views on Facebook. In 2018, he wrote and directed the TV documentary '' Ettore Majorana - L’Uomo del futuro'' on the life and the legacy of Italian scientist

Ettore Majorana Ettore Majorana (,, uploaded 19 April 2013, retrieved 14 December 2019 ; born on 5 August 1906 – possibly dying after 1959) was an Italian theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses. On 25 March 1938, he disappeared under mysteri ...

. It premiered on Sky Arte HD on March 28 for the 80th anniversary of Majorana’s mysterious disappearance. In 2021, he wrote and directed his fifth short film ''Infelici e contenti'' ("Happily unhappy"). For her role in this movie, Italian actress Angelica Cacciapaglia won for "best supporting actress" at the MISFF - Montecatini International Short Film Festival, the longest-running Italian festival dedicated to short films. As a writer, in 2020 he wrote the

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

book ''Volevo essere nessuno'' ("I wanted to be nobody") published by

Mondadori Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...

and translated in English. In 2021 his memoir "Il veleno nella coda" ("The poison in the tail") was published by Laurana editore. It received positive reviews from the critics and was ranked seventh in the weekly chart of "

Robinson Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...

". For years, he has been writing op-eds, satirical articles and special reports for various international media outlets. His works appeared in ''

Libération ''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...

'', ''

Linkiesta ''Linkiesta'' is an independent Italian online newspaper of investigative journalism, in-depth analysis and commentary. It was launched on 31 January 2011 and, from 24 September 2019, the editor in chief is Christian Rocca. The first editor in ...

'', ''

Charlie Hebdo ''Charlie Hebdo'' (; meaning ''Charlie Weekly'') is a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. Stridently non-conformist in tone, the publication has been described as Anti-racism, anti-racist, sceptica ...

'', RaiNews24 among others. In 2016 he won the Macchianera Internet Award Macchianera Internet Awards for best article of the year, wit
an article about Charlie Hebdo Comics
published on the Italian online magazine ''Gli Stati Generali''.

TV shows

Filmography

Books

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazza, Francesco 1982 births Living people Italian male writers Writers from New York (state)