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Ivan Cappiello

Director
Ivan Cappiello is an Italian director and animator from Naples who specializes in feature-length animated films with a clearly recognizable visual style. He became known for CINDERELLA THE CAT (2017, directed by Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri, and Dario Sansone). The neo-noir film, set in Naples, was presented at the Venice International Film Festival and is characterized by stylized imagery, precise production design, and a genre-appropriate narrative style. Cappiello's involvement as co-director, the film's festival presence, and the complete cast are consistently documented in several industry sources. CINDERELLA THE CAT also marks an important reference point for Italian animated cinema of the 2010s. The film was released in German-speaking countries and received widespread acclaim; the production company Mad Entertainment lists the project as a central work in its catalog. Award lists and festival information confirm the title's visibility in an international context. Cappiello's profile is thus clearly outlined: creative direction in feature films, teamwork in a co-directing consortium, and a focus on style-conscious, urban material.

Films

Cinderella the Cat

Cinderella the Cat

By Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello

2017 | 86 min | Animation

An animated Cinderella with a somewhat different kind of heroine, one who knows how to handle weapons and who grew up on an abandoned ship.

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No News

No News

2021 | 81 min | Documentary

For months, the crew of the Mission Lifeline sea rescue ship is stuck in the port of Malta. The ship's captain is on trial for rescuing hundreds of refugees. This feature debut portrays the crew during their wait for a redemptive and anchor-releasing verdict. Ten months during which life, and death, continues in the Mediterranean. Sober shots of everyday life on the ship alternate with distress calls from the ship's radio, about boats in distress or of the isolated rescue of survivors. "This documentary ...

Only One Day in Berlin

Only One Day in Berlin

2018 | 74 min | Independent

After many years of not seeing each other, Mia and Linda meet up in Berlin. Mia has debts and plans to blackmail the man she's been having an affair with. Linda is planning to marry Thomas, but her doubts are mounting... Film and theater director Malte Wirtz is back: in less than 24 hours he shot the entire film without the restrictions of fixed dialogue and without a budget. The hard work was rewarded with the Best Feature Award at the Boddinale in Berlin and a prominent spot at the Achtung Berlin ...

It Happened Just Before

It Happened Just Before

2006 | 72 min | Crime

The documentary deals with the global phenomenon of human trafficking. The stories of affected women are told by people who have no actual connection to the facts, but could have. Director Anja Salomonowitz chooses an original approach to her topic. The film is based on real stories of trafficked women, which the director has condensed into a documentary screenplay. Thus, the films constantly finds new connections between the narrative logic of cinematographic fiction, the “what could happen” and ...

In the Woods

In the Woods

2022 | 81 min | Horror

Teenage Mia has to go with her father Mats to visit his new girlfriend. On the way, they find a crashed car in the forest. When they go to get help, mysterious things happen. A detour leads them deep into a large wooded area where they discover a crashed and abandoned vehicle. They try to call for help, but the cell phone network goes on strike. Shortly after, their car also breaks down unexpectedly. When they hear a scream from the forest, they both get scared. After the success of his series ...

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation

2010 | 14 min | Animation

A LOST AND FOUND BOX OF HUMAN SENSATION is an award-winning animation film about grief and loss by Stefan Leuchtenberg, based on a poem by Martin Wallner. "The audiovisual experience of A LOST AND FOUND BOX OF HUMAN SENSATION touches its audience deeply. No greater honour can be bestowed on a short film." (Europrix Multimedia Awards Jury) A young man's father dies because of pancreatic cancer and the boy has to cope with the loss. The film begins with the funeral and shows how feelings change ...

Strassenkaiser

Strassenkaiser

2017 | 85 min | Crime

It's carnival time and Berlin is teaming with excitement. Noah, only 12 years old, has just arrived to visit his father when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of the action. Noah meets a bunch of Berlin street characters, including petty criminal Samuel, who gets him involved in a great adventure. Director Florian Peters' road movie takes viewers through Berlin streets and back courtyards and up to the top of a tower. "The characters are as colorful as the Carnival of Cultures in their ...

The World We Live in

The World We Live in

2016 | 18 min | Animation

People on the move. Outside, a guardrail flies by in a blur. Drawn lines are superimposed on it. This film is about lines of life, lines that stretch from Eastern Europe to Germany. The filmmakers mix real images and animations superimposed on them, which repeatedly convey impressions of the emotional lives of the people portrayed. The drawings are also a protective cloak and a symbolic narrative device. On the soundtrack, the migrants talk about their existence in Germany. Often they are unemployed, ...

Brother

Brother

2014 | 27 min | Crime

Lukasz (24) wants to get out of crisis mode. He yearns for recognition and loyalty. As tough thug for Hamburg's main man, he believes he's found it all. While Lukasz's rise up the ladder begins to take shape, the death of their mother brings his little brother Kamil (13) to Lukasz's front door after a long break in contact. Lukasz is forced to choose between his criminal substitute family and his brother. Jarek Dudas Kiez drama BROTHER is his graduation film from the International Film School ...

Another Way to Make a Living

Another Way to Make a Living

2022 | 64 min | Crime

Eric, a journalist, meets a prisoner named Moritz. With his assistance Eric gains access to the criminal world and unleashes unexpected events. Bored by his usual work, Erik researches the criminal world on his own. During his research he meets Moritz in prison. Moritz becomes Erik's ticket into drug lord Milan's gang. But Moritz ignores all journalistic standards. Erik's best friend Celine gets wind of this and tries to change his mind. While his informant Moritz gets more and more involved ...

The Notes of Anna Azzori / A Mirror that Travels through Time

The Notes of Anna Azzori / A Mirror that Travels through Time

2020 | 72 min | Documentary

This essay film, based on a prior Berlinale film 'Anna' from 1975, addresses the place of women in a world that was full of discrimination back in the 70s and remains so today. From 1972 to 1975, Italian underground directors Alberto Grifi and Massimo Sarchielli, accompanied a pregnant, drug-addicted runaway for their film "Anna". They offered her help and in return made her the main character of their film project, which oscillates between documentation and (re)staging, between empathy, distanced ...