Samantha Casella (1981) was born in Italy.
Influenced by the pictorial world, Samantha Casella's directing style leads her to prefer stories crossed by a deep surreal atmosphere, in which the unconscious dimension has a predominant value.
She studied screenwriting and narrative techniques at the Holden School in Turin and cinema directing at the Scuola Immagina in Florence.
She makes the documentaries "Mediterraneo" (selected for the Biennale of Venice) and "Self-portrait with Pope", a video presented in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI, preceded by the manufacturing and installation processes of the Via Crucis located in the Pantheon in Rome ("Via Crucis al Pantheon").
Later she directs “Giro di giostra”, a medium-length film presented during the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Film Meeting section.
In 2020 she directed the short film “To A God Unknown”, distributed in the USA by FourWalled.
The short film won 237 awards at international festivals organized in 34 different countries.
In 2022 she is the director and actress of the experimental short film “The Antithesis of Love”, freely inspired by the biblical work “Il Cantico dei Cantici” for a rhythmic translation by Giuseppe Conte.
“Santa Guerra” is her debut feature film. Distinctly dreamlike and surreal film, starring Eugenia Costantini and sees the participation of Maria Grazia Cucinotta. The preview takes place on 7 September 2022 as part of the Starlight Award, during the 79th Venice International Film Festival.