Gianna Mazzeo
Writer + Director + Filmmaker
Melbourne + Amsterdam
(+31) 6 85 78 83 31
ciao@giannamazzeo.com
Gianna is an Australian-Italian writer, director and filmmaker based in Amsterdam. Making films within the genres of drama and social satire, she has a passion for uncovering new angles on important stories spanning themes of culture, sexuality, the female experience and more. Gianna often incorporates a comedic or surreal sensibility into her work, treating weighty subject matter with a light touch. In 2026, Gianna was mentored by Paolo Sorrentino during a film lab in Patagonia with Playlab Films, where her short film was chosen among the program’s top selection for international distribution. She has also pursued personal projects such as writing and directing a feminist erotic film for ERIKALUST. Her narrative and documentary work has featured in Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Festivals such as St John’s Women’s International Film Festival, Scottish Queer International Film Festival and St Kilda Film Festival. Her documentary short, ‘The History of the Carabiner’, won the Audience Award prize for Best Short at Inside Out Toronto and was nominated for an Australian Directors’ Guild Award, while her debut short film, ‘Miss Pisces’, was selected as a ‘NOWNESS Pick’. In the commercial world, Gianna was nominated for an ADCN (Dutch Creativity) Award and has been part of the official Berlin Commercial selection, directing projects for clients such as the European Parliament, KLM, Numero Netherlands, Nike, Vodafone, Loop Earplugs and more.
Awards / Achievements:
ADCN (Dutch Creativity) Award Nomination (2026)
Paolo Sorrentino Film Lab – Selected for International Distribution (2026)
ERIKALUST Guest Director Funding (2025)
Australian Directors’ Guild Award Nomination (2025)
WeAreDN Awards Selection (2025)
Berlin Commercial Selection (2024)
St Kilda Film Festival – Academy Award Qualifying (2024)
Scottish Queer International Film Festival Selection – BAFTA Qualifying (2024)
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival – Canadian Screen Award Qualifying (2024)
Audience Award Winner at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival – FFA & Canadian Screen Award Qualifying (2024)
Nikon Europe X Waterbear Documentary Fund (2023)
Melbourne Fashion Festival 2022 Fashion Film Award Finalist (2022)
‘NOWNESS Picks’ Selection for Miss Pisces Short Film (2018)
Gianna works on the stolen land of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. She acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.