Cristian Speranza

Email: c.speranza@student.unsw.edu.au

Supervisors: Jodi Brooks, Sukhmani Khorana

BMedia (Hons I), BA (Distinction), BMedia (Distinction)

Cristian's PhD research is a case study of Italian-Australian filmmaker Giorgio Mangiamele (1926 - 2001) which seeks to participate in the ongoing re-evaluation of his ouvre, particularly his work in the 1950s and 60s during a time when feature filmmaking, let alone from migrant artists, has been historically viewed as virtually non-existent. By adopting principals from both his media and literary studies backgrounds, Cristian hopes to argue the case for Mangiamele as one of Australia's earliest auteur directors whose migrant status was a key factor in birthing the Australian art cinema movement that flourished in the decades following Mangiamele's most productive period of output. Alongside this, Cristian intends to produce a creative-practice research project which builds on the collage-film-style he engaged with in his Honours year at UNSW studying a feminist-durational cinema. Cristian worked in independent cinema and film festival management and promotion prior to commencing his studies, and continues to participate in Sydney's exciting filmmaking and exhibiton culture through his production and podcasting work alongside his teachning work at the UNSW School of Arts and Media.