PREJUDICE

Born in Palermo on 05/04/1967, he showed a strong attraction for acting and directing since his adolescence. At the age of 27 he made his debut in theatre with Pirandello's L'Innesto, and then continued with numerous plays, including a few pieces written by the director. In 1998 he made his first feature film Lo zaino d'aria, shot in Palermo, where he focuses on the dreams of young people from Palermo, who are often forced to give up their dreams for a secure job, or try their luck far from their homeland. The versatility of the artist from Palermo means that he ranges from theatre to cinema and from cinema to musicals. In 2009 he wrote and performed in the musical Esmeralda la vera storia, based on Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, with original music composed by Celesia, where he directed the entire work, also playing the role of Captain Febo. He returned to the theatre and cinema with some thriller works, a genre Celesia particularly loved. In 2000, he staged Tre sull'altalena by Luigi Lunari, which was repeatedly revived in the following years. In 2001 it was the turn of Trappola per un uomo solo by Robert Thomas, a thriller set in a mountain chalet, and in 2003 followed the feature film Stato di trance, a paranormal thriller written, directed and starring Giuseppe Celesia. This was followed by a pause marked by a passion for musicals, where he composed the music for FalconeBorsellino, an unpublished musical in honour of the two magistrates from Palermo, analysing the feelings and friendship that bound the families of the two magistrates and the anti-Mafia pool, until the tragic epilogue of the two massacres of Capaci and Via D'Amelio. The year 2015 brought thrills and international awards for the feature film L'innesto, loosely based on Pirandello's play of the same name, in which he played the leading role and directed. His original passion for prose brought him thrills and awards for La gatta sul tetto che scotta (The Cat on the Roof that's Burning), in which he played the role of Brick Pollitt, once played by Paul Newman, and Robin Hawdon's Il matrimonio perfetto, a light comedy with misunderstandings reminiscent of French vaudeville. His return to cinema is marked by a number of short films with a social theme, another genre Celesia is particularly fond of, which have distinguished themselves at numerous national and international festivals: in 2017 Oblio, a drama analysing the strong social theme of children forgotten in cars. In 2018 L'ultimo selfie, a paranormal thriller that delves into the conscience of those who, in the name of a few likes on social media are willing to risk their lives. In the same year, a light comedy entitled Sanno dove siamo (They know where we are) caresses the dream of two retired spouses who are willing to start their lives over again, together, outside Italy, in one of the islands considered a tax haven. At the same time the musical in the theatre, with a series of school projects, finds its place in fairy tales for children and also adults, such as Cinderella between fairy tale and reality, Beauty and the Beast, to give way to musicals with famous songs such as Silent Night, which focuses on the Christmas truce of 1914 and Those mythical '60s, on the notes of the most famous songs of the Italian boom period. The cinema returns like a seesaw in Giuseppe's life with the short film Il sabato del villaggio, winner of numerous awards, shot in 2020 with Emma Quartullo and Alessio Chiodini, and Il pregiudizio, freely inspired by Pirandello's La Patente, in 2021, in which he directs and acts alongside Pino Quartullo.

Awards won:
2016 winner of the Eurofilmfestival of Spain, for the Italy section for the film "L'Innesto" as best film, best director and best music
2017: winner as best leading actor at the first Sicilian Regional Theatre Festival of Fita with the show "La gatta sul tetto che scotta".
2019: winner as best leading actor at the competition "Sipario e cultura" in Palermo in the role of Paolo Borsellino in the musical "FalconeBorsellino".
2021: winner as best director at the Best Istanbul Film Festival with the short film "Il sabato del villaggio" (this short film also won another prize: at the Varese Film Festival best supporting actress for Emma Quartullo, daughter of the famous actors Elena Sofia Ricci and Pino Quartullo; the short film is also a finalist at the Cefalù Film Festival).
2021: winner of the Special Prize "Terzo Teatro" at the International Theatre Festival of Gorizia for the show "Quei mitici anni '60" (Those mythical 60s), which he directed and performed.
2021: winner of the "Best Musical" Award at the National Theatre Festival of Castelbuono for the show "FalconeBorsellino" directed and performed by him
2021: winner of the "Best Director" Award at the International Short Film Festival "Città di Palermo" with the short film "Il Sabato del villaggio" which also won third place as best short film.
2021: winner of the Best Short Film Award at the PM Short Film Festival of Partinico with "Il sabato del villaggio". The short also won the prize for best photography.