Through the Lens of Migration

Jonas Carpignano is an Italian-American film director best known for his films centered on themes of identity and migration. Carpignano was born in the Bronx, New York, where he spent the majority of his childhood, along with frequent visits to Rome to his father’s family. Carpignano’s filmmaking career began during his time as an undergraduate student at Wesleyan University where he first began creating films. Later, he enrolled in the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program.

Carpignano wrote and directed the films A Ciambra, about a young Romani boy, and A Chjàna, which chronicles the experience of a young migrant worker in the wake of Italy’s worst race riot. Mediterranea, another Carpignano film, revolves around the experiences of two African migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Italy. His work has been shown at prestigious venues such as the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. He has also accumulated a series of awards and recognition, such as the 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Europa label cinema prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and best director at the David di Donatello Awards, to name a few.

Currently, Carpignano resides in Italy, continuing his work as a director and writer. He will be speaking to the NYU Florence community about his journey telling the story of Italy’s immigration through film.