Ruggero Gabbai

Ruggero Gabbai, (Wilrijk, 6 August 1964), is an Italian film director, photographer and politician.

Biography

Ruggero Gabbai was born in Wilrijk (Belgium) in 1964 and he grew up in Milan. He has been keen on photography since the age of thirteen, at the age of nineteen he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and a minor in philosophy.

In 1993 he obtained a Master of Fine Arts in film direction at the Columbia University in New York. Gabbai studied and worked with directors such as Miloš Forman, Paul Schrader, Emir Kusturica and Martin Scorsese. The first documentary he directed was his graduate thesis The King of Crown Heights, which has been broadcast on prime time by PBS and distributed all over the world.

During those years, he worked in fashion photography for Paul Labraque's atelier, and he establishes the post-production company ARC pictures.

Gabbai worked as photo-reporter for the south-American weekly magazine Cosas by shooting portraits of popular celebrities such as Leo Castelli, Imelda Marcos, Edward Coach, Julio Iglesias. He collaborated with the Giant's Stadium and the Madison Square Garden as a sport photographer. He edited the New York University newspaper covers, realizing both the famous 360° panoramic view of the city and the Columbia University brochures, using a special technique of negative's manipulation.

In 1994, he moved back to Italy. He directed the documentary Memoria scripted by the historians Marcello Pezzetti and Liliana Picciotto. The documentary was filmed in Auschwitz. In 1997 the film was selected by the Berlin International Film Festival, obtaining several awards all over the world. Memoria has been broadcast on prime time by Italian TV-channel RAI 2, with a share of 7 million viewers.

Gabbai established Forma International production house in 1997, since then he has directed more than 25 documentaries about various subjects, such as the one about Varenne, or Ajamola Ajamola about the killing of the giant tunas, and some monographs on Emma Bonino and Enzo Maiorca. He also filmed portraits on fashion maisons Versace and Missoni.

In 2009, he directed Io ricordo, a docu-fiction about the Mafia's victims. Io ricordo was produced by Gabriele Muccino and Marco Cohen's Indiana Production. It obtained the President of the Italian Republic's patronage, and it was broadcast by the Italian TV-channel Canale 5, then distributed in home video by Medusa Film.

On 19 January 2010, during the 70th anniversary of Paolo Borsellino's birth, Gabbai with members of the foundation "progetto Legalità" (legality project), were received by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano in order to present Io ricordo.

In 2010 he produced and directed the documentary "Jackfly", based on real events occurred in financial world.

In 2011 Gabbai has been elected city councilor of Milano with the Giuliano Pisapia's committee of Democratic Party (PD). In January 2012 he has been elected President of the City Council Commission Expo 2015.

In 2013 he was the artistic director of the opening of Binario 21 at Stazione Centrale di Milano with the presence of the most important political authorities. He completed the documentary The longest journey, about the deportation of the Italian Jews of Rhodes during the Second World War. The film has been selected at the 30th Jerusalem International Film Festival and it has been shown in a world premiere at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. Since then, the film has been selected in many festivals worldwide. The film has been broadcast by RAI in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2014 .

In 2014, Ruggero Gabbai received the Mario Francese award for the civil value of his films regarding the importance of the historical memory.

In 2015 Gabbai completed his last documentary CityZen on the destitute district ZEN of Palermo, and the documentary Starting over again, on the Western communities during the '40s and the '50s in Egypt before the 1952 Revolution and the nationalism of Nasser.

Filmography

• Starting over again (2015)
• CityZEN (2015)
• The longest journey (2013)
• B&B Italia (2011)
• JACKFLY (2010)
• IO RICORDO (2008–2009)
• Arabi Danzanti (2007)
• Mediaset – Minotauro: Versace, Missoni, Emma Bonino, Enzo Maiorca, La danza delle cinque, Confronto istintivo e Un aiuto naturale(2006-2002)
• Gli ebrei di Fossoli (2006)
• Sarajevo, i figli d’Abramo (2002)
• Varenne, un’atleta chiamato cavallo (2002)
• Mediaset – Una penisola di storie: Ajamola ajamola, il rito della mattanza, Una città in Palio, Il Redentore (2001)
• American dream (2001)
• Okkio per okkio (2000)
• Gerusalemme, una promessa di pietra(1999)
• Viaggio verso casa (1998)
• Lavori in carne (1998)
• Cici daci dom, noi zingari d’italia (1998)
• Febbre rossa (1997)
• MEMORIA (1997)
• The king of crown heights (1994-1993)
• Free fallin (1992)
• Václav Havel, a day in New York (1990)