Mathieu Volpe
Directing
Biography
The son of an Italian father and a Belgian mother, Mathieu Volpe (Rome, Italy, 1990) grew up in southern Italy before moving to Belgium to study cinema. His short films have been shown at a number of international festivals, including Locarno, Rome, Turin, Dok Leipzig and Fipadoc. Une jeunesse italienne, his first feature-length documentary, made its world premiere at the Festival dei Popoli in November 2022. At the same time, he was developing L'Or rouge, his first feature-length fiction film, produced by Les Films du Fleuve. In 2022, he took part in the Zurich Film Academy and the Idfa Academy. L'Or rouge was developed at Les Ateliers d'Angers in January 2023.
Known For
Awa, a Cameroonian snow groomer operator, assists a determined young migrant in crossing the border between Italy and France. As their journey unfolds, a poignant tale of redemption emerges amidst a canvas of snow and concealed truths.
Eldorado
Returning to Italy, the narrator tries to find what remains of someone he loved.
Some Things are Better Left Untold
Originally from Cameroon, Regina arrives in the “Ghetto”, a shanty town in southern Italy where hundreds of immigrant workers are exploited to harvest tomatoes. It was here, a year earlier, that the tragic fate of her son Isaac was sealed. Discovering the truth about his death will be the only way for Regina to silence her constant, underlying guilt.
L'Or rouge
After marrying a girl from his native village, Sokuro, a young Burkinabe immigrant living in Italy, tries to build a future with her despite the distance that separates their two worlds.
An Italian Youth
When I got to Rignano, the Ghetto residents told me: "You mustn't keep any trace of our lives here in these precarious houses. This despair is not yours to display." The misery in the Ghetto is the first thing that struck me, the first thing I wanted to show.