I was born in Detroit, United States in 1967, but I have lived almost my entire life in Italy, so I can consider myself Italian in terms of my education and culture (even though I have retained dual citizenship). I would add that, since my mother is German, I have a strong connection to that culture as well.
I will begin with my theatrical experience, which has also been fundamental to my film career and my life in general. I have been involved in theater since the age of sixteen (i.e., for forty years). I trained as an actor and assistant director alongside a master such as Paolo Perugini, with whom I shared years of work and incomparable creativity. Subsequently, I gained varied experience in Italy and abroad (I also acted in French). In this regard, I would add that the internships I did (and continue to do when I can) have been very important to me. The most important ones were: the one with Bruce Myers (Peter Brook's leading actor and theater director), the one with Giorgio Bongiovanni (for decades the ‘official’ Pantalone in the show ‘Arlecchino servitore di due padroni’ conceived and staged by Giorgio Strehler) on the Commedia dell'arte, and those with Massimo Navone (director and teacher at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan), the one with actress and director Greta Zamparini on the Meisner method, the one with director and actor Massimiliano Cividati, and the one with Gabriele Vacis.
In 2016, I moved on to directing: first with a reading-performance directed and performed by me, based on Bruno Misefari's “Diario di un disertore” (Diary of a Deserter), and then staging more complex shows such as “Romeo, Giulietta e le tenebre” (Romeo, Juliet, and Darkness) based on my adaptation of Jan Otčenášek's novel of the same name, “La strada maestra” (The Main Road) and Chekhov's The Bear, Pirandello's Il dovere del medico (The Doctor's Duty), Beckett's Teatro I, Va e Vieni (Come and Go) and Passi (Steps), Harold Pinter's La stanza (The Room), and a theatrical adaptation of texts from Achille Campanile's Tragedie i due battute (Two-Line Tragedies), supplemented by texts by the great German comedian and author Karl Valentin.
I worked as a theater trainer in Roman high schools, bringing many young people to the stage (with the aforementioned shows) and then to the sets of my films.
This brings me back to my film experience.
I have a degree in Film History and Criticism from the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at the Sapienza University of Rome. I studied film directing at FAMU in Prague in 1997/1998, under the guidance of Jaromil Jireš, making several short films and collaborating with some local directors.
As a director, I have made fiction short films and documentaries. I list them below.
Fiction short films
1 - “Dream” (1996) - video, duration: 5'40"
2 - “Fragments” (1997) - video, duration: 6'15"
3 - “The Writer” (1998) - 16mm film, duration: 3'45", produced by FAMU
4 - “Allegretto” (1998) - 16mm film, duration: 5'56", produced by FAMU
5 - “Apparition in Orvieto” (2013) - HD video, duration: 6'45"
6 - “Gags” (2021) - 4K, duration: 11'31"
7 - “The Last Day” (2024) - 4K, duration: 15'08"
8 - “The Wait” (2024) – 4K, duration: 11'49", premiered at the Pesaro Film Festival 2024
9 - “Giorgio and the Buddhist” (2025), duration: 13'45"
10 - “Once Upon a Time...” (in post-production)
I have also made 7 documentaries.

In 2020, I founded a film production company, Michael Fantauzzi Film (MFF), with which I co-produced the following feature films in addition to my short films:
1- “Giulia – Una selvaggia voglia di libertà” (2021), directed by Ciro De Caro, which was presented at the “Giornate degli Autori” in the “Notti Veneziane” section of the 2021 Venice Film Festival, received a David di Donatello nomination for Best Actress and two Nastri d'Argento nominations.
2- “La Piel Pulpo” (2022), directed by Ana Cristina Barragán, in competition for the “Horizontes Latino” award at the 2022 San Sebastian International Film Festival, for which I am handling distribution in Italy.
3- “Taxi mon amour” (2024), directed by Ciro De Caro, selected and then winner of the audience award at the “Giornate degli Autori” at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
4- “Hiedra - Ivy” (2025), directed by Ana Cristina Barragán, winner of the award for “best screenplay” in the “Orizzonti” section at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, which I am handling the distribution of in Italy (theatrical release is scheduled for February 5, 2026).

Finally, I worked as a film critic for many years, particularly from 2001 to 2007, I have run several film clubs in Italy and abroad, curating film reviews; and for three years I taught film studies to elementary school children .

I am currently preparing my first feature film on a theatrical subject (not surprisingly).