Artistic Director of the Taormina Film Festival, the first among European women to hold such a prestigious position directing one of the world’s most renowned cinematic events, Tiziana Rocca boasts years of experience in event organization. Rocca loves taking on difficult challenges and transforming them into winning productions. She possesses comprehensive experience in the film world, which has allowed her to develop fundamental skills and relationships.
Experiences including organizing Filming Italy Sardegna have given her such mastery of the film industry that she created the opportunity to invite for the latest edition of the Taormina Film Festival, directors like Martin Scorsese, Oscar-winning actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Rupert Everett. With Filming Italy Sardegna, Tiziana Rocca sought to support cinema in theaters during the summer season, thanks also to the initiative of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Cinecittà, Anec, and Cinema Revolution. The result has been to establish Filming Italy Sardegna as a reference point for promoting audiovisual products, in addition to involving many young people by bringing them closer to the world of cinema and granting the festival international visibility.
Meanwhile, Filming Italy Los Angeles celebrated its tenth edition this year, creating over the years a bridge between Italy and the United States for countless authors, directors, and actors. Rocca is not only the first European woman to hold such an important position at the helm of Taormina, which has seen over the years the presence of personalities like Federico Fellini, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Sophia Loren, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Tom Cruise, but she is also a determined woman who has established herself as a professional in a world of men. During her career, she has always supported other women working in the film industry.
She comments, “Taormina is a festival that feels an atavistic attachment to its land because the location is unique. The Ancient Theatre is not just a physical stage, but one of the soul! At Taormina, one can watch films in the Greek Theatre built in the year 300 AD, lapped by the sea, with the peak of Mount Etna in the background. A suggestive and unique setting in the world.”
Dynamic and perfectionist, Rocca encourages other women to establish themselves not only as professionals but primarily as women who bear witness to their artistic convictions. Under her direction, Rocca is achieving her goal to reinstate Taormina’s place among the most important festivals on the international stage. Brava Tiziana!
