Francesco Mazza

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

Career

From 1999 to 2001, he was a recurring guest on Michele Santoro’s evening talk shows (Circus, Il Raggio Verde) aired on Rai 2.

In September 2001 he moved to Mediaset, becoming a reporter for the youth magazine "Mosquito" aired on Italia 1.

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). 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.

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) in which he also acted as the main character. The short film won the 6th Oaxaca Film Fest and in 2016 it was nominated for a Nastro d'Argento in Rome. The co-writer of "Frankie (Italian Roulette)" is New York-based director Amos Poe.

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

In 2017 he directed the short film "Broken Eggs", starring Michael Laurence and Nicole Arlyn, produced by Amos Poe. 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 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 . It premiered on Sky Arte HD on March, 28th for the 80th anniversary of Majorana’s mysterious disappearance.

For years, he has been writing op-eds, satirical articles and special reports for various international media outlets. His works appeared in Libération, Linkiesta, Charlie Hebdo, RaiNews24 among others. In 2016 he won the Macchianera Internet Award for best article of the year.

TV shows