The Jury of Italy Short Film Days Berlin is composed of two complementary bodies, reflecting both the editorial identity of the festival and its strong connection to the local film community. An internal jury, formed by selected members of the TaxiDrivers editorial staff, brings a** critical and curatorial perspective** rooted in years of film analysis and cultural militancy. Alongside it, an external jury is composed of Italian cinema professionals based in Berlin—including producers, directors, actors, and other industry figures—actively working within the contemporary film landscape. This dual structure ensures a dialogue between critical reflection and professional practice, offering a balanced and informed evaluation of the films in competition.
The Berlin jury of the festival is composed of Italian expats living in Berlin, actively involved in the local film and audiovisual landscape. They are directors, filmmakers, and professionals who work daily between film sets and production, bringing an international perspective rooted in the sensibility of Italian cinema.
The jury includes Daniela Porto, Gianluca Vallero, Giorgia Malatrasi, Lucia Chiarla, Roberta Chimera, and Rocco Di Mento: a heterogeneous group in terms of experience and background, yet united by a deep knowledge of contemporary cinematic language and a strong connection to Berlin’s cultural scene. The Berlin jury is responsible for awarding the Best Director Prize.
Gianluca Vallero is a director and voice actor for television and cinema. Between 1992 and 2003, he worked as a journalist for Italian and Swiss newspapers, including “Il Manifesto”, “Il Secolo XIX”, and “Il Giornale del Popolo”, also producing reports for German radio broadcasters such as Deutschlandradio, Deutschlandfunk, WDR, and RBB. In 2003, he served as assistant director to Gianni Amelio on the film Le chiavi di casa. With his company Finimondo Productions, he has created short films awarded at international festivals, including at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), where he received the New York Film Academy Award. For cinema, he has also directed a documentary and the feature film The Woddafucka Thing, which won Best German-language Film at the Filmfest Bremen.
Lucia Chiarla, a director and screenwriter born in Genoa, trained at the Paolo Grassi Drama School, where she attended the acting course. In 2006, she made her debut with Bye Bye Berlusconi!, presented at the Berlin International Film Festival, for which she was both screenwriter and performer. Her directorial debut came in 2018 with The Chairs Game, selected at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis and awarded Best Film at the Achtung Berlin Film Festival. In 2021, she wrote and produced Primavera Duemilaventi, which received the FIPRESCI Prize at the Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In 2024, she created About Luis (director and screenwriter), presented in competition at the Zurich Film Festival and at the Rome Film Fest, where it won the “Sorriso Diverso” award.
Giorgia Malatrasi: Filmmaker and author based between Berlin and Italy. She holds a degree in Communication Studies and Semiotics from the University of Bologna and worked as an editor and producer for VICE Media in Milan. After moving to Berlin, she co-signed the feature documentary Searching Eva, which premiered at the Berlinale 2019 (Panorama). Selected in over 70 festivals including Hot Docs and IDFA, the film received a Special Mention at CPH:DOX and was nominated for the Cinema Eye Honors and the German Documentary Award. Giorgia is co-director of the animated short Storta, currently in production with support from Film Commission Emilia-Romagna and MIC. Her first solo feature documentary Madrina, currently in pre-production, was selected for In Progress at Milano Film Network.
Roberta Chimera is a producer and co-founder of the film school The Visual House. She has worked on numerous film and transmedia projects, including short films, documentaries, and docu-dramas, taking on roles in production, management, and executive production across Italian, English, and German contexts. She has served as a jury member at the Prix Europa in the Online and Documentary sections. Her work explores and reinterprets how society is narrated and represented, addressing social, political, and cultural themes through innovative practices, actively contributing to Berlin’s cultural and activist landscape.
Daniela Porto, born in Rome in 1979, graduated in 2003 from DAMS. She initially began her professional career in photography: she attended the “Ettore Rolli” photography school and completed an internship at the Contrasto photographic agency. In 2005, she started working at Orisa Produzioni, where she followed television productions first as a coordinator and later as an editorial and production manager. “My Place Is Here,” co-directed together with Cristiano Bortone, marks her directorial debut. The screenplay is based on her first novel of the same name, published by Sperling & Kupfer. “My Place Is Here” won the Award for Best Director at BiFest in 2024.
Rocco Di Mento is an Italian director and editor based in Berlin. He studied at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, earning a Bachelor’s degree in editing and a Master’s degree in documentary directing. His graduation film The Blunder of Love premiered at DOK Leipzig, won the Doc Alliance Award at the Marché du Film, and received the “New Talents” award at Biografilm Festival in 2021. His second documentary TORO, co-produced with ZDF, premiered at SXSW London.