Bruno Pischiutta
- Producer
- Director
- Editor
Member of the European Film Academy, Bruno Pischiutta is an internationally celebrated and award-winning writer, director and producer with a career that spans more than five decades. He is known for his lifelong commitment to fostering the art of filmmaking. He established his career in his native Italy and, in 1975, he founded and directed Rome's Centro Iniziative Di Azione Culturale, the nation's only alternative school for theatre and film at that time. He is known for his high quality film production skills, and specifically noted for his socially oriented feature films.
Born in Udine in 1947, Pischiutta graduated from the Institute of Dramatic Art in Trieste in 1966. He studied philosophy at the University of Trieste in 1971, and he is an International Academician appointed by the Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori di Pavia in 1981.
In his long film career, he has been a director, screenplay writer, producer and executive producer, lead actor, editor, casting director, film agent, costume and scenery designer, and a film teacher. He made films and documentaries for both the silver screen and for TV. He hosted events and, to this date, he is the artistic consultant and presenter at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
Last but not least, Bruno Pischiutta is a businessman and head of his own film company in Canada, Global Film Studio.
He started his career in theater, in the early 60s in Udine, where he produced, directed and played in a recital of poems and monologues by William Shakespeare. In 1962, he produced, directed and played in a recital of poems and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. In 1963, he played in "La Pesca", a drama by Eugene O'Neill. In 1964, he played in a drama of Father David Maria Turoldo, "Quando La Terra E' Madre", that was staged in Udine at the San Francis' Monumental Church.
In 1965, at the age of 18, he played in "Pentecost", another Turoldo drama, that was staged at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan and performed in front of an audience of 9,000 people. He was honored to play before the Cardinal Giovanni Montini who, few months later, became Pope Paul VI.
That same year, he moved to Trieste where he graduated from the Institute of Dramatic Arts, and he became a professional actor. While in Trieste, he worked as an actor at RAI radio and in theater, and he studied philosophy at the University of Trieste.
In 1966, he auditioned and was admitted as an actor in the Italian language theater group of the Narodno Kazaliste Theater of Rijeka, Yugoslavia.
In those first years of his professional life, he was blessed to know and to befriend the local intellectuals. He was a personal friend of writers such as Tito Maria Maniacco, Elio Bartolini and Amedeo Giacomini, of artists such as Mario Baldan and Mimmo Biase, of philosophers such as Sergio Sarti, of actress Rosita Torosh and director Giorgio Marini, and many others. Some of them were much older than he was and his cultural education became, in many ways, formed under their influence.
Some of the plays he performed in while at the Narodno Kazaliste Theater in Rijeka are: "Song of the Lusitanian Bogey" by Peter Weiss, directed by Francesco Macedonio; "Miser" by Molière; "La Locandiera" by Carlo Goldoni; and "Uncle Vanja" by Anton Chekhov.
In 1966, when he was 22 years old, he completed his university studies in Philosophy at the University of Trieste.
In the late 60s, American film production companies started to leave Italy as their preferred shooting location and commenced shooting in Croatia. There, he was cast as an actor in motion pictures produced by Columbia Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Productions, and several others. As a professional film and theater actor, he had the possibility to work with great directors such as Nanni Loy and Francesco Rosi, with some great actors such as Nino Manfredi, Martin Landau, Jason Robards and Peter Falk, with Oscar-winning director of photography Pasqualino De Santis, and others.
Bruno Pischiutta was cast in Rosolino Paternò, soldato... (1970), directed by Nanni Loy, with Nino Manfredi, Jason Robards and Peter Falk. He was also cast in the Hollywood Studio production Many Wars Ago (1970), directed by Francesco Rosi, with Mark Frechette, Gian Maria Volontè and Pier Paolo Capponi. In this picture, he performed in a scene alongside Alain Cuny, the great French actor who appeared as the organ player in Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960).
In 1972, at the Venice Film Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Many Wars Ago (1970).
In 1971, as soon as he left Rijeka and arrived back to Italy, he shot a 50-minute long documentary (his first film). He wrote, produced, directed and executive produced Solo miseria e poi... è sempre così (1971) (Only poverty and then... it is always like that.) that was screened in Milan and later had a limited release in Italy.
That same year, he produced an LP record of poetry written during the Italian Resistance: "Poemi Della Resistenza Friulana". Pischiutta recited the poetry. One of the poems was by the great Pier Paolo Pasolini and this created the first contact between them: this is how Pasolini learned about Bruno Pischiutta. Every copy of the disks was sold and Pischiutta's choice and performance received great reviews in Italian newspapers and on radio.
During that time, he was hired as an actor by Dario Fo, Franca Rame and Nanni Ricordi in Milan. Dario Fo, in 1997, received the Nobel Prize for literature. Pischiutta, with Dario Fo and Vittorio Franceschi, founded the Political Theater in Italy.
Pischiutta left Dario Fo in 1972 to found, with Vittorio Franceschi and Salvatore Cafiero, Nuova Scena, the most interesting theater group of that time.
In 1973 he launched his own theater in Milan (the Bertolt Brecht Theater) and he wrote, directed and acted in a very successful tragicomedy play about the environment entitled "Pulci & Smog" (Fleas & Smog).
Bruno Pischiutta took a stand against the Vietnam war and, when Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, called for peace marches across Europe, he participated in the first one that took place in Torino. He then wrote to Bob Dylan and asked him the authorization to translate, in Italian language, certain songs he had written against the Vietnam war, and to produce a record. Dylan accepted and allowed Pischiutta to produce and record the LP entitled "Vietnam Chiama Lotta" (Vietnam calls for a fight). The record was very favorably reviewed by the national newspaper L'Unità and it went on to receive a wide success. Pischiutta also produced a recital entitled "The Vietnam War Today" that he performed in Milan and in Florence. The recital had Pischiutta reading parts of the spiritual will of Ho Chi Minh, while Marco Tutino sang Bob Dylan's songs in Italian language.
In 1973, in Milan, he wrote his first screenplay: "Mare Povero" (Poor Sea). The following year, he moved from Milan to Lecco, on Como Lake, few kilometers north of Milan. There, he produced some successful shows, one of which was a recital of Italian religious poetry.
In 1974 he arrived to Rome where he lived until 1983, the year when he emigrated to Canada. While in Rome, he was cast by Oscar-winning Billy Wilder in his film Avanti! (1972) (Forward!), starring Jack Lemmon.
During his time in the capital city, he became friends with film director Nanni Loy, the Honorable MP Marco Pannella, journalist Luciano Bruni, Minister Giacomo Mancini, TV host Osvaldo Bevilacqua, professor Antonio Garofalo, actors Ubaldo Lay, Dario Penne, Vittorio Gassman, Bruno Vilar, Raimondo Penne, actress Paola Borboni, artist Beppino Volpe, and many other personalities of the time.
Bruno Pischiutta produced, directed and played the leading role in "Antonello Capobrigante Calabrese", a theater drama in five parts written by Vincenzo Padula. He brought the show on tour to every city in Calabria.
When he returned to Rome, he produced, directed and acted in a theater recital of Calabrian folk songs and poems with Anna Gadaleda. He produced and directed a recital of Spanish and South American poetry with Spanish songs and poems by Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda and others; Pischiutta was acting in the show, while Raul Cabrera was singing and playing the guitar. The show was performed at different cabaret locations and theaters in Trastevere. The show was met with great success, and Pischiutta brought it to several cities across Italy and to the Stadium of Torino in front of an audience of 8,000 spectators.
This was the time when he opened his own theater and theater school in Ostia, the part of Rome by the sea. He called the enterprise Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale (C.I.A.C.). There, he taught theater, while Professor Paolo Uccello, who was a published author and the authority in film technology in Italy, taught film to the students. At C.I.A.C., Bruno Pischiutta produced theater shows that were always followed by a debate with the audience and, every two weeks, he organized an art exhibition with works by the best painters of Rome. Once a month, on Sundays, a show for children was presented. The audience was filling the place. The activity of the Center got the interest of Rome's major media and it was followed by the artists and intellectuals from the capital city. Federico Fellini's clan was often present at Pischiutta's Center; the well known journalist Domenico Pertica, 'Momo' to his friends, was a fan of the Center and promoted its activities in Giornale d'Italia where he explained to the political people of the time the social and artistic importance of C.I.A.C.
He produced and directed "The Frog's Tale", a theater show for children. He also produced, directed and performed in a recital entitled "Poesia Come Magia and Magia Come Poesia". The most successful play he wrote and published was "Sotto Processo" (On Trial). This was his last theater show. He wrote the script, he produced and directed it and he also performed in it. It was a two-hours one man show, and the subject was the immobility of the Italian intellectuals of that time.
In 1976, he was awarded the Premio Simpatia. As of 1976, Bruno Pischiutta, Franco Zeffirelli and Federico Fellini were the only directors to achieve this distinction.
That same year, he wrote, cast, produced, directed and executive produced Compagne nude (1977), his first feature film and Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale production. He cast Irma Olivero in the leading role. The film is portraying several aspects of Italian women's lifestyle at that time. The film was released nationally and internationally in 1977. He shot the picture in Rome, in black and white, and he mono-colored it later.
Also in 1976 he wrote, cast, produced and directed the feature film Il Suicidio di Elsa (1978) (Elsa's Suicide). The story, a Saglo Film production, is about the motivation of suicide of two young girls, one very rich and one very poor, both called Elsa. It describes certain aspects and problems of the high and of the low classes of Rome in the late 70s.
In 1978, The Belle Arti of Rome awarded him One Million Lire for the organization of suburban youth cultural activities related to film & theatre, and Anna Maria Scheible awarded him in Salerno for Outstanding Playwriting & Direction.
In 1979, in North Italy, he wrote, produced, cast and directed the feature film Isola meccanica (1978) (Mechanic Island) - 30M Italian Lire budget - with Femi Benussi. This was a Saglo Film production, Pischiutta's new film company. The story in the film starts with an act of violence that generates other acts of violence. Bruno Pischiutta was also the lead actor in this feature. The film, distributed by Lark Distribution, premiered in the theater of Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale and it was later released (limited) in Italy.
In 1980, between Rome and Venice, he wrote, produced, cast and directed Ultimo incontro a Venezia (1980) (Last Encounter in Venice), another Saglo Film production, with a budget of US $2M. The plot is about an American war correspondent, Vietnam veteran, who is dying in Venice for alcoholism. Bruno Pischiutta starred in this film alongside Irma Olivero. The film premiered in Venice and it was released in North Italy. In 2012, the English version of the picture was released by the Tribeca Film Institute's 'Reframe Collection', and it is now available on Amazon.
In 1980 he made his first international production, again with Saglo Film, the feature film titled The Comoedia (1981), with a budget of US $4M. The movie is freely inspired by the Divina Commedia of Dante Alighieri. The film is a modern transposition of the antique poem and it deals with young people's drug problem in the USA in the 80s. The Comoedia (1981) was shot between North Italy and New York City. He wrote, produced, cast and directed the film. Actress Liliana Tari was cast in the starring role. Bruno Pischiutta edited this picture together with Ruggero Mastroianni, Marcello's brother. The film premiered in Galleria Rizzoli in New York City, and it was later widely screened in Italy, Norway and other European countries. The English version of the picture was released by Tribeca Film Institute's 'Reframe Collection', and it is now available on Amazon.
In 1981, at the New York International Film and Television Festival, Bruno Pischiutta receives the Bronze Medal for The Comoedia (1981) - selected among 3,800 entries. Following the success of the film in New York, Pischiutta was appointed International Academician by the Instituto Universitario di Pavia (Italy).
A stepping stone in launching his North American presence was the interview that famous Italian TV anchor Paolo Frajese conducted with him in New York City. The interview was broadcast nationally and internationally.
In 1982, at the request of Pordenone TV station, he directed, produced, cast and anchored By Bruno Pischiutta (1982), a half-hour documentary about himself. The documentary, produced by Saglo Film, was broadcast by Pordenone TV in Italy. That same year, he wrote the feature film screenplay entitled "Witches 2001".
Until this time, he had published only one book, the theater play "Sotto Processo". Now, after the release of The Comoedia (1981), he published a hard cover book about the film containing the whole script in Italian and English languages, as well as many stills. He also published one more book entitled "... E Va Bene, Parliamo di Cinema..." (...and OK, let's talk about movies...). This was an essay about the Italian Cinema and the related media.
In 1983, he emigrated to North America and he choose to live in Toronto, Canada. In less than a month after his arrival, he was hired as a director by Visual Productions Inc. and Emmeritus Productions Inc. headed by executive producer Lionel Shenken.
When he arrived in Toronto, he visited Eaton Center and, for the first time, he saw a gigantic North American shopping mall. This gave him the idea to write a TV series called Shopping Center. He wrote, directed and cast Shopping Center, a mini-series of five features of 24 min. each (1983-1984), that was produced for Visual Productions Inc. These features were widely distributed on principal Canadian TV networks and in the United States.
In 1985 he wrote, directed and cast the feature film The Bounty Hunters (1985) with Jon Austin in the principal role. The film was produced for Emmeritus Productions Inc.
That same year, he was hired by Telelatino (TLN), a new Canadian Television Network broadcasting in Italian and Spanish languages that was founded by executive producer Emilio Mascia. For Telelatino, he wrote, directed, cast and produced La Piazzetta (1985-1986) (The Little Square), a TV series of 13 shows of 24 min. each, in association with Luce Film Inc. and executive producer Vito Barbera.
He founded a TV production company called Genvilm International Inc. where he worked for one year and a half. During that time, he directed over 100 TV commercials (mostly about fashion and furniture) that were broadcast on local and national TV stations. He also created a TV series of 13 episodes of half-hour each called Wonderful Woman. In this series, fashion models were photographed and featured at some of the most beautiful and renowned architectural structures of Toronto. The most memorable include the CN Tower where models were filmed at the top of the tower with the city as background, the Royal Bank of Canada's sky rise golden buildings where models were strategically positioned on concrete supports located in the fountain, the Imperial Commerce Bank of Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto where models were filmed on the top balcony and he positioned male and female models against the rock of the Scarborough Bluffs. Wonderful Woman was presented in world premiere during a cruise on the tall ship Empire Sandy on Lake Ontario that was attended by top Toronto TV executives.
In 1986, Bruno Pischiutta became a Canadian resident and founded his first Canadian film and TV production company, Studio 1027.
With Studio 1027, he wrote, directed, cast, produced, anchored and executive produced Telemoda (1985) (Fashion TV), a TV series of 26 shows of 24 min. each. The shows were broadcast by-weekly on CFMT International Toronto. He also wrote, directed, cast, produced, anchored and executive produced La Vetrina Del Successo (1986) (The Window of the Success), a TV series of 13 shows of 24 min. each that were broadcast by-weekly on CFMT International Toronto too.
In 1987 Bruno Pischiutta founded Clockwise Production and wrote, directed, cast, produced and executive produced the feature film Life's Charade (1987), starring Josette Garramone. The film features a fictional story of an unexplained teenage suicide. It deals with the wide problem of teenage suicide and it proves that, after all, teenage suicide is not unexplained. The picture premiered in Toronto at the headquarters of Action Basis Inc. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as a non-official entry, and as an Official Selection at the New York International Film & TV Festival; later it had a limited release in Canada.
In 1987, at the New York International Film and Television Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the Finalist Award, for Life's Charade (1987). The film qualified between the first five selected among 5,600 entries.
In 1989, in Niagara falls he wrote, directed, cast, produced and executive produced The Telegram (1989) - $1.4M budget - with Sonia Lindgreen. The picture premiered in Toronto at the headquarters of Action Basis Inc. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as a non-official entry, and it had a limited release in Canada.
In 1990, in Niagara Falls and in St. Catherines he filmed The Glassblower (1990) which he directed and cast. The movie had John Anderson in the lead role. This feature film was written and produced by Yvonne Korent for Pangea Productions inc. The picture premiered in 1991 at The Film Palace, and it later had a limited release in Canada.
In 1991, he founded The Film Palace that was one of Canada's largest film production studios in the early 90s. The studio was rented for productions by companies such as Disney, and it had screening facilities too, where the premieres for Bruno Pischiutta's films were often hosted.
In 1992 in Toronto, he created and held the first edition of the International Film Workshops at The Film Palace. He went on to hold his International Film Workshops in Canada, Ghana and Romania, and taught hundreds of young and promising filmmakers acting, directing, screenplay writing, and producing. To this day, he continues to teach, on an exclusive basis, promising talent.
That year, he also wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced the feature film Lured (1993) with Christina Macris and Byron McKim in the starring roles. The film is based on a fictional story about a young man who has money, family and a good social position. A casual meeting with a young girl results in him loosing everything he had before.
In 1994 Pischiutta wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced Easy Weekend (1996), a short film starring Christina Macris again. The film is based on a fictional story of a date rape and it deals with this widely diffused phenomenon.
In 1996 he wrote, directed, produced, edited and executive produced the 24 min. documentary titled The Film Palace. The premiere of the picture at The Film Palace was followed by a limited release.
In 1997 in Quebec City, Pischiutta directed, cast, edited and executive produced Dead Love (1997) with a $300K budget. This is a 24 min. short film starring Christina Macris and Gabe King. The picture premiered at the cinema of the National Film Board of Canada in downtown Toronto, and it was later released in Canada and broadcast on TV.
In 1998, he wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced the feature film Maybe (2003) with a budget of $2.8M. Most of the characters of the film are young, and the film features several situations of a group of friends. In particular, one of them is bulimic and, by following her story, the movie offers a very precise pictures of bulimia and its motivations. In America, over nine million females and one million males between nine and sixteen years old are bulimic. The film, starring Christina Macris, was completed and released in 2003 in North America. It was screened in Toronto and at the Cannes Film Festival as a non-official entry. Later, the film was an Official Selection and screened in-competition at the Bahamas One World Film Festival.
In 2000 Pischiutta held the second edition of his International Film Workshops program for actors, directors, producers and screenplay writers. The Workshops took place at the new headquarters of his company, Toronto Pictures Inc., in Toronto.
In 2003, at the Bahamas One World Film Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the The Visionary in Film Award for his outstanding direction, writing, producing and editing of the feature film Maybe (2003).
In 2005 in Accra, together with Daria Trifu and Kingsley Sam Obed, he founded the Toronto Pictures' Film Academy of Ghana that was, for many years, the country's largest film school and production center. That same year, Pischiutta held his International Film Workshops program in Accra for the students of the Film Academy. After giving the Ghanaian talent the necessary international filmmaking knowledge and training, Pischiutta directed, edited and cast the feature film Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) - $5.8M budget. The picture was co-written by Pischiutta and Kingsley Sam Obed.
The film was executive produced and produced by Bruno Pischiutta and Daria Trifu. It was filmed entirely in Ghana with principal photography ending in August 2005. The film features actors Belinda Siamey and Ruffy Samuel Quansah in the leading roles; they are two African young talent who were trained by Pischiutta.
In 2008 the film premiered in Accra. In 2009, Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) was an Official Selection at the Montreal World Film Festival. It was screened in theaters in Los Angeles for three months, and it was qualified for nomination consideration at the 2010 Academy Awards® in the category of Best Picture.
That same year, The Political Film Society in Hollywood nominated Bruno Pischiutta alongside James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino, for his direction of the feature film Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009). The film received nominations in two categories: Best Film Expose' and Best Film on Human Rights. This qualifies Mr. Pischiutta as one of the best film directors of dramatic feature films in North America.
In 2014, Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) was screened, out of competition, at the third edition of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
In 2012 Bruno Pischiutta wrote, directed and edited Bruno Pischiutta Film Director (2012) - $273K budget - a 24 min. documentary about his work. The documentary was produced by Daria Trifu. It consists of an assembly of clips selected and cut by Pischiutta from the most relevant films he made between 1980 and 2009. The documentary was release by Tribeca Film Institute's Reframe Collection and it is now available on Amazon.
That same year, Pischiutta co-produced with Daria Trifu the English versions of two of his earlier critically acclaimed films, The Comoedia (1981) and Ultimo incontro a Venezia (1980) (Last Encounter in Venice).
In 2010, Pischiutta and Trifu moved the European office of Global Film Studio to Romania. In Brasov, together with Trifu, Pischiutta founded the Global Nonviolent Film Festival (previously known as the Brasov International Film Festival & Market). The annual event is today the world's leading and most renowned nonviolent film festival. The 1st edition of the Festival took place in 2012 and it was presented by Bruno Pischiutta who addressed the audience from the stage before each evening's screening. Pischiutta continues to be the presenter at the annual event to this day. He also serves as the artistic consultant of the festival.
In 2012, he also held the first edition of his International Film Workshops in Brasov, followed by the 2nd and 3rd editions that were conducted in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
In 2012, Bruno Pischiutta launched the Global Film Actors Agency, a Division of Global Film Studio Inc.. That year, he also created, directed, edited, cast and executive produced Brasov: Probably the Best City in the World (2012), a full length feature documentary that had a budget of $2.1M. The documentary was produced by Daria Trifu and the principal photography lasted 14 months in order for the film to be able to showcase all four seasons. It also featured an interview with Pischiutta. The film premiered, out of competition, at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival in 2012. Few months later, it was screened, with Spanish subtitles, in Havana, Cuba, where Bruno Pischiutta and Daria Trifu were invited by the Romanian Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Cuba Dr. Dumitru Preda and by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (I.C.A.I.C.).
As an artistic portfolio and poster photographer, he worked with many actors and actresses. Recently, he took the photos that appear on the posters for the 2013, 2014, and 2017 editions of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
In 2013 he produced, with Daria Trifu, the 24 min. documentary Brasov International Film Festival & Market 2013 (2014) with a budget of $850K. The film features Trifu and actress Denisa Barvon. The documentary was released in 2014.
In 2015, Daria Trifu wrote an original story which Pischiutta develop into a screenplay that was copyrighted in 2017 with the working title: "Untitled 906". This was added to the slate of eight other screenplays he has previously written for Global Film Studio. The last of the ten screenplays is still being written today, in 2022, with the working title: "Spa". For various reasons, Pischiutta has decided not to reveal the titles and content of these last two films until their release.
In 2016, Global Film Studio moved its European headquarters to Greece. Since then, in addition to writing the latest scripts, holding workshops, and being a presenter at the annual Global Nonviolent Film Festival, Pischiutta is working on the development of the company's six divisions in order to establish Global Film Studio as a large and fully functioning international film Studio.
In 2016, the Global Nonviolent Film Festival took place online for the first time. This move brought the selected films to viewers all over the world. In 2021, Global Film Studio started operations with its distribution division and launched globalcinema.online, a streaming platform where nonviolent films, documentaries, docudramas, animated films and TV series (both features and shorts) are presented on a pay-per-view basis.
During his career, he discovered and launched few talents, and he worked with many personalities in the film, theater, literature, art and business fields. In particular, he discovered Irma Olivero and Liliana Tari in Rome, and he launched their film acting careers. In Milan, he discovered and launched singer Marco Tutino. In Toronto, Canada he discovered and launched film actress Christina Macris and film producer/actress Daria Trifu. In Accra, Ghana he discovered and launched film actors Belinda Siamey and Ruffy Samuel Quansah. In Brasov, Romania he discovered film actress Denisa Barvon.
In addition to his feature films, Bruno Pischiutta has written, directed and produced five documentaries; wrote, directed, produced, cast and anchored three TV Series for a total of 52 episodes; and, wrote, directed and produced over 100 TV commercials that were broadcast nationally in several languages.
Today, he is the chairman of the board Global Film Studio and of two other Canadian corporations, the president of a Canadian corporation that is publicly listed on the stock market in New York City and is the executive in charge of Global Film Actors Agency - a Division of Global Film Studio.
Born in Udine in 1947, Pischiutta graduated from the Institute of Dramatic Art in Trieste in 1966. He studied philosophy at the University of Trieste in 1971, and he is an International Academician appointed by the Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori di Pavia in 1981.
In his long film career, he has been a director, screenplay writer, producer and executive producer, lead actor, editor, casting director, film agent, costume and scenery designer, and a film teacher. He made films and documentaries for both the silver screen and for TV. He hosted events and, to this date, he is the artistic consultant and presenter at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
Last but not least, Bruno Pischiutta is a businessman and head of his own film company in Canada, Global Film Studio.
He started his career in theater, in the early 60s in Udine, where he produced, directed and played in a recital of poems and monologues by William Shakespeare. In 1962, he produced, directed and played in a recital of poems and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. In 1963, he played in "La Pesca", a drama by Eugene O'Neill. In 1964, he played in a drama of Father David Maria Turoldo, "Quando La Terra E' Madre", that was staged in Udine at the San Francis' Monumental Church.
In 1965, at the age of 18, he played in "Pentecost", another Turoldo drama, that was staged at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan and performed in front of an audience of 9,000 people. He was honored to play before the Cardinal Giovanni Montini who, few months later, became Pope Paul VI.
That same year, he moved to Trieste where he graduated from the Institute of Dramatic Arts, and he became a professional actor. While in Trieste, he worked as an actor at RAI radio and in theater, and he studied philosophy at the University of Trieste.
In 1966, he auditioned and was admitted as an actor in the Italian language theater group of the Narodno Kazaliste Theater of Rijeka, Yugoslavia.
In those first years of his professional life, he was blessed to know and to befriend the local intellectuals. He was a personal friend of writers such as Tito Maria Maniacco, Elio Bartolini and Amedeo Giacomini, of artists such as Mario Baldan and Mimmo Biase, of philosophers such as Sergio Sarti, of actress Rosita Torosh and director Giorgio Marini, and many others. Some of them were much older than he was and his cultural education became, in many ways, formed under their influence.
Some of the plays he performed in while at the Narodno Kazaliste Theater in Rijeka are: "Song of the Lusitanian Bogey" by Peter Weiss, directed by Francesco Macedonio; "Miser" by Molière; "La Locandiera" by Carlo Goldoni; and "Uncle Vanja" by Anton Chekhov.
In 1966, when he was 22 years old, he completed his university studies in Philosophy at the University of Trieste.
In the late 60s, American film production companies started to leave Italy as their preferred shooting location and commenced shooting in Croatia. There, he was cast as an actor in motion pictures produced by Columbia Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Productions, and several others. As a professional film and theater actor, he had the possibility to work with great directors such as Nanni Loy and Francesco Rosi, with some great actors such as Nino Manfredi, Martin Landau, Jason Robards and Peter Falk, with Oscar-winning director of photography Pasqualino De Santis, and others.
Bruno Pischiutta was cast in Rosolino Paternò, soldato... (1970), directed by Nanni Loy, with Nino Manfredi, Jason Robards and Peter Falk. He was also cast in the Hollywood Studio production Many Wars Ago (1970), directed by Francesco Rosi, with Mark Frechette, Gian Maria Volontè and Pier Paolo Capponi. In this picture, he performed in a scene alongside Alain Cuny, the great French actor who appeared as the organ player in Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960).
In 1972, at the Venice Film Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Many Wars Ago (1970).
In 1971, as soon as he left Rijeka and arrived back to Italy, he shot a 50-minute long documentary (his first film). He wrote, produced, directed and executive produced Solo miseria e poi... è sempre così (1971) (Only poverty and then... it is always like that.) that was screened in Milan and later had a limited release in Italy.
That same year, he produced an LP record of poetry written during the Italian Resistance: "Poemi Della Resistenza Friulana". Pischiutta recited the poetry. One of the poems was by the great Pier Paolo Pasolini and this created the first contact between them: this is how Pasolini learned about Bruno Pischiutta. Every copy of the disks was sold and Pischiutta's choice and performance received great reviews in Italian newspapers and on radio.
During that time, he was hired as an actor by Dario Fo, Franca Rame and Nanni Ricordi in Milan. Dario Fo, in 1997, received the Nobel Prize for literature. Pischiutta, with Dario Fo and Vittorio Franceschi, founded the Political Theater in Italy.
Pischiutta left Dario Fo in 1972 to found, with Vittorio Franceschi and Salvatore Cafiero, Nuova Scena, the most interesting theater group of that time.
In 1973 he launched his own theater in Milan (the Bertolt Brecht Theater) and he wrote, directed and acted in a very successful tragicomedy play about the environment entitled "Pulci & Smog" (Fleas & Smog).
Bruno Pischiutta took a stand against the Vietnam war and, when Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, called for peace marches across Europe, he participated in the first one that took place in Torino. He then wrote to Bob Dylan and asked him the authorization to translate, in Italian language, certain songs he had written against the Vietnam war, and to produce a record. Dylan accepted and allowed Pischiutta to produce and record the LP entitled "Vietnam Chiama Lotta" (Vietnam calls for a fight). The record was very favorably reviewed by the national newspaper L'Unità and it went on to receive a wide success. Pischiutta also produced a recital entitled "The Vietnam War Today" that he performed in Milan and in Florence. The recital had Pischiutta reading parts of the spiritual will of Ho Chi Minh, while Marco Tutino sang Bob Dylan's songs in Italian language.
In 1973, in Milan, he wrote his first screenplay: "Mare Povero" (Poor Sea). The following year, he moved from Milan to Lecco, on Como Lake, few kilometers north of Milan. There, he produced some successful shows, one of which was a recital of Italian religious poetry.
In 1974 he arrived to Rome where he lived until 1983, the year when he emigrated to Canada. While in Rome, he was cast by Oscar-winning Billy Wilder in his film Avanti! (1972) (Forward!), starring Jack Lemmon.
During his time in the capital city, he became friends with film director Nanni Loy, the Honorable MP Marco Pannella, journalist Luciano Bruni, Minister Giacomo Mancini, TV host Osvaldo Bevilacqua, professor Antonio Garofalo, actors Ubaldo Lay, Dario Penne, Vittorio Gassman, Bruno Vilar, Raimondo Penne, actress Paola Borboni, artist Beppino Volpe, and many other personalities of the time.
Bruno Pischiutta produced, directed and played the leading role in "Antonello Capobrigante Calabrese", a theater drama in five parts written by Vincenzo Padula. He brought the show on tour to every city in Calabria.
When he returned to Rome, he produced, directed and acted in a theater recital of Calabrian folk songs and poems with Anna Gadaleda. He produced and directed a recital of Spanish and South American poetry with Spanish songs and poems by Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda and others; Pischiutta was acting in the show, while Raul Cabrera was singing and playing the guitar. The show was performed at different cabaret locations and theaters in Trastevere. The show was met with great success, and Pischiutta brought it to several cities across Italy and to the Stadium of Torino in front of an audience of 8,000 spectators.
This was the time when he opened his own theater and theater school in Ostia, the part of Rome by the sea. He called the enterprise Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale (C.I.A.C.). There, he taught theater, while Professor Paolo Uccello, who was a published author and the authority in film technology in Italy, taught film to the students. At C.I.A.C., Bruno Pischiutta produced theater shows that were always followed by a debate with the audience and, every two weeks, he organized an art exhibition with works by the best painters of Rome. Once a month, on Sundays, a show for children was presented. The audience was filling the place. The activity of the Center got the interest of Rome's major media and it was followed by the artists and intellectuals from the capital city. Federico Fellini's clan was often present at Pischiutta's Center; the well known journalist Domenico Pertica, 'Momo' to his friends, was a fan of the Center and promoted its activities in Giornale d'Italia where he explained to the political people of the time the social and artistic importance of C.I.A.C.
He produced and directed "The Frog's Tale", a theater show for children. He also produced, directed and performed in a recital entitled "Poesia Come Magia and Magia Come Poesia". The most successful play he wrote and published was "Sotto Processo" (On Trial). This was his last theater show. He wrote the script, he produced and directed it and he also performed in it. It was a two-hours one man show, and the subject was the immobility of the Italian intellectuals of that time.
In 1976, he was awarded the Premio Simpatia. As of 1976, Bruno Pischiutta, Franco Zeffirelli and Federico Fellini were the only directors to achieve this distinction.
That same year, he wrote, cast, produced, directed and executive produced Compagne nude (1977), his first feature film and Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale production. He cast Irma Olivero in the leading role. The film is portraying several aspects of Italian women's lifestyle at that time. The film was released nationally and internationally in 1977. He shot the picture in Rome, in black and white, and he mono-colored it later.
Also in 1976 he wrote, cast, produced and directed the feature film Il Suicidio di Elsa (1978) (Elsa's Suicide). The story, a Saglo Film production, is about the motivation of suicide of two young girls, one very rich and one very poor, both called Elsa. It describes certain aspects and problems of the high and of the low classes of Rome in the late 70s.
In 1978, The Belle Arti of Rome awarded him One Million Lire for the organization of suburban youth cultural activities related to film & theatre, and Anna Maria Scheible awarded him in Salerno for Outstanding Playwriting & Direction.
In 1979, in North Italy, he wrote, produced, cast and directed the feature film Isola meccanica (1978) (Mechanic Island) - 30M Italian Lire budget - with Femi Benussi. This was a Saglo Film production, Pischiutta's new film company. The story in the film starts with an act of violence that generates other acts of violence. Bruno Pischiutta was also the lead actor in this feature. The film, distributed by Lark Distribution, premiered in the theater of Centro Iniziative di Azione Culturale and it was later released (limited) in Italy.
In 1980, between Rome and Venice, he wrote, produced, cast and directed Ultimo incontro a Venezia (1980) (Last Encounter in Venice), another Saglo Film production, with a budget of US $2M. The plot is about an American war correspondent, Vietnam veteran, who is dying in Venice for alcoholism. Bruno Pischiutta starred in this film alongside Irma Olivero. The film premiered in Venice and it was released in North Italy. In 2012, the English version of the picture was released by the Tribeca Film Institute's 'Reframe Collection', and it is now available on Amazon.
In 1980 he made his first international production, again with Saglo Film, the feature film titled The Comoedia (1981), with a budget of US $4M. The movie is freely inspired by the Divina Commedia of Dante Alighieri. The film is a modern transposition of the antique poem and it deals with young people's drug problem in the USA in the 80s. The Comoedia (1981) was shot between North Italy and New York City. He wrote, produced, cast and directed the film. Actress Liliana Tari was cast in the starring role. Bruno Pischiutta edited this picture together with Ruggero Mastroianni, Marcello's brother. The film premiered in Galleria Rizzoli in New York City, and it was later widely screened in Italy, Norway and other European countries. The English version of the picture was released by Tribeca Film Institute's 'Reframe Collection', and it is now available on Amazon.
In 1981, at the New York International Film and Television Festival, Bruno Pischiutta receives the Bronze Medal for The Comoedia (1981) - selected among 3,800 entries. Following the success of the film in New York, Pischiutta was appointed International Academician by the Instituto Universitario di Pavia (Italy).
A stepping stone in launching his North American presence was the interview that famous Italian TV anchor Paolo Frajese conducted with him in New York City. The interview was broadcast nationally and internationally.
In 1982, at the request of Pordenone TV station, he directed, produced, cast and anchored By Bruno Pischiutta (1982), a half-hour documentary about himself. The documentary, produced by Saglo Film, was broadcast by Pordenone TV in Italy. That same year, he wrote the feature film screenplay entitled "Witches 2001".
Until this time, he had published only one book, the theater play "Sotto Processo". Now, after the release of The Comoedia (1981), he published a hard cover book about the film containing the whole script in Italian and English languages, as well as many stills. He also published one more book entitled "... E Va Bene, Parliamo di Cinema..." (...and OK, let's talk about movies...). This was an essay about the Italian Cinema and the related media.
In 1983, he emigrated to North America and he choose to live in Toronto, Canada. In less than a month after his arrival, he was hired as a director by Visual Productions Inc. and Emmeritus Productions Inc. headed by executive producer Lionel Shenken.
When he arrived in Toronto, he visited Eaton Center and, for the first time, he saw a gigantic North American shopping mall. This gave him the idea to write a TV series called Shopping Center. He wrote, directed and cast Shopping Center, a mini-series of five features of 24 min. each (1983-1984), that was produced for Visual Productions Inc. These features were widely distributed on principal Canadian TV networks and in the United States.
In 1985 he wrote, directed and cast the feature film The Bounty Hunters (1985) with Jon Austin in the principal role. The film was produced for Emmeritus Productions Inc.
That same year, he was hired by Telelatino (TLN), a new Canadian Television Network broadcasting in Italian and Spanish languages that was founded by executive producer Emilio Mascia. For Telelatino, he wrote, directed, cast and produced La Piazzetta (1985-1986) (The Little Square), a TV series of 13 shows of 24 min. each, in association with Luce Film Inc. and executive producer Vito Barbera.
He founded a TV production company called Genvilm International Inc. where he worked for one year and a half. During that time, he directed over 100 TV commercials (mostly about fashion and furniture) that were broadcast on local and national TV stations. He also created a TV series of 13 episodes of half-hour each called Wonderful Woman. In this series, fashion models were photographed and featured at some of the most beautiful and renowned architectural structures of Toronto. The most memorable include the CN Tower where models were filmed at the top of the tower with the city as background, the Royal Bank of Canada's sky rise golden buildings where models were strategically positioned on concrete supports located in the fountain, the Imperial Commerce Bank of Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto where models were filmed on the top balcony and he positioned male and female models against the rock of the Scarborough Bluffs. Wonderful Woman was presented in world premiere during a cruise on the tall ship Empire Sandy on Lake Ontario that was attended by top Toronto TV executives.
In 1986, Bruno Pischiutta became a Canadian resident and founded his first Canadian film and TV production company, Studio 1027.
With Studio 1027, he wrote, directed, cast, produced, anchored and executive produced Telemoda (1985) (Fashion TV), a TV series of 26 shows of 24 min. each. The shows were broadcast by-weekly on CFMT International Toronto. He also wrote, directed, cast, produced, anchored and executive produced La Vetrina Del Successo (1986) (The Window of the Success), a TV series of 13 shows of 24 min. each that were broadcast by-weekly on CFMT International Toronto too.
In 1987 Bruno Pischiutta founded Clockwise Production and wrote, directed, cast, produced and executive produced the feature film Life's Charade (1987), starring Josette Garramone. The film features a fictional story of an unexplained teenage suicide. It deals with the wide problem of teenage suicide and it proves that, after all, teenage suicide is not unexplained. The picture premiered in Toronto at the headquarters of Action Basis Inc. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as a non-official entry, and as an Official Selection at the New York International Film & TV Festival; later it had a limited release in Canada.
In 1987, at the New York International Film and Television Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the Finalist Award, for Life's Charade (1987). The film qualified between the first five selected among 5,600 entries.
In 1989, in Niagara falls he wrote, directed, cast, produced and executive produced The Telegram (1989) - $1.4M budget - with Sonia Lindgreen. The picture premiered in Toronto at the headquarters of Action Basis Inc. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as a non-official entry, and it had a limited release in Canada.
In 1990, in Niagara Falls and in St. Catherines he filmed The Glassblower (1990) which he directed and cast. The movie had John Anderson in the lead role. This feature film was written and produced by Yvonne Korent for Pangea Productions inc. The picture premiered in 1991 at The Film Palace, and it later had a limited release in Canada.
In 1991, he founded The Film Palace that was one of Canada's largest film production studios in the early 90s. The studio was rented for productions by companies such as Disney, and it had screening facilities too, where the premieres for Bruno Pischiutta's films were often hosted.
In 1992 in Toronto, he created and held the first edition of the International Film Workshops at The Film Palace. He went on to hold his International Film Workshops in Canada, Ghana and Romania, and taught hundreds of young and promising filmmakers acting, directing, screenplay writing, and producing. To this day, he continues to teach, on an exclusive basis, promising talent.
That year, he also wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced the feature film Lured (1993) with Christina Macris and Byron McKim in the starring roles. The film is based on a fictional story about a young man who has money, family and a good social position. A casual meeting with a young girl results in him loosing everything he had before.
In 1994 Pischiutta wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced Easy Weekend (1996), a short film starring Christina Macris again. The film is based on a fictional story of a date rape and it deals with this widely diffused phenomenon.
In 1996 he wrote, directed, produced, edited and executive produced the 24 min. documentary titled The Film Palace. The premiere of the picture at The Film Palace was followed by a limited release.
In 1997 in Quebec City, Pischiutta directed, cast, edited and executive produced Dead Love (1997) with a $300K budget. This is a 24 min. short film starring Christina Macris and Gabe King. The picture premiered at the cinema of the National Film Board of Canada in downtown Toronto, and it was later released in Canada and broadcast on TV.
In 1998, he wrote, directed, cast, produced, edited and executive produced the feature film Maybe (2003) with a budget of $2.8M. Most of the characters of the film are young, and the film features several situations of a group of friends. In particular, one of them is bulimic and, by following her story, the movie offers a very precise pictures of bulimia and its motivations. In America, over nine million females and one million males between nine and sixteen years old are bulimic. The film, starring Christina Macris, was completed and released in 2003 in North America. It was screened in Toronto and at the Cannes Film Festival as a non-official entry. Later, the film was an Official Selection and screened in-competition at the Bahamas One World Film Festival.
In 2000 Pischiutta held the second edition of his International Film Workshops program for actors, directors, producers and screenplay writers. The Workshops took place at the new headquarters of his company, Toronto Pictures Inc., in Toronto.
In 2003, at the Bahamas One World Film Festival, Bruno Pischiutta received the The Visionary in Film Award for his outstanding direction, writing, producing and editing of the feature film Maybe (2003).
In 2005 in Accra, together with Daria Trifu and Kingsley Sam Obed, he founded the Toronto Pictures' Film Academy of Ghana that was, for many years, the country's largest film school and production center. That same year, Pischiutta held his International Film Workshops program in Accra for the students of the Film Academy. After giving the Ghanaian talent the necessary international filmmaking knowledge and training, Pischiutta directed, edited and cast the feature film Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) - $5.8M budget. The picture was co-written by Pischiutta and Kingsley Sam Obed.
The film was executive produced and produced by Bruno Pischiutta and Daria Trifu. It was filmed entirely in Ghana with principal photography ending in August 2005. The film features actors Belinda Siamey and Ruffy Samuel Quansah in the leading roles; they are two African young talent who were trained by Pischiutta.
In 2008 the film premiered in Accra. In 2009, Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) was an Official Selection at the Montreal World Film Festival. It was screened in theaters in Los Angeles for three months, and it was qualified for nomination consideration at the 2010 Academy Awards® in the category of Best Picture.
That same year, The Political Film Society in Hollywood nominated Bruno Pischiutta alongside James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino, for his direction of the feature film Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009). The film received nominations in two categories: Best Film Expose' and Best Film on Human Rights. This qualifies Mr. Pischiutta as one of the best film directors of dramatic feature films in North America.
In 2014, Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and the Young Girls' Slavery in Today's West Africa (2009) was screened, out of competition, at the third edition of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
In 2012 Bruno Pischiutta wrote, directed and edited Bruno Pischiutta Film Director (2012) - $273K budget - a 24 min. documentary about his work. The documentary was produced by Daria Trifu. It consists of an assembly of clips selected and cut by Pischiutta from the most relevant films he made between 1980 and 2009. The documentary was release by Tribeca Film Institute's Reframe Collection and it is now available on Amazon.
That same year, Pischiutta co-produced with Daria Trifu the English versions of two of his earlier critically acclaimed films, The Comoedia (1981) and Ultimo incontro a Venezia (1980) (Last Encounter in Venice).
In 2010, Pischiutta and Trifu moved the European office of Global Film Studio to Romania. In Brasov, together with Trifu, Pischiutta founded the Global Nonviolent Film Festival (previously known as the Brasov International Film Festival & Market). The annual event is today the world's leading and most renowned nonviolent film festival. The 1st edition of the Festival took place in 2012 and it was presented by Bruno Pischiutta who addressed the audience from the stage before each evening's screening. Pischiutta continues to be the presenter at the annual event to this day. He also serves as the artistic consultant of the festival.
In 2012, he also held the first edition of his International Film Workshops in Brasov, followed by the 2nd and 3rd editions that were conducted in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
In 2012, Bruno Pischiutta launched the Global Film Actors Agency, a Division of Global Film Studio Inc.. That year, he also created, directed, edited, cast and executive produced Brasov: Probably the Best City in the World (2012), a full length feature documentary that had a budget of $2.1M. The documentary was produced by Daria Trifu and the principal photography lasted 14 months in order for the film to be able to showcase all four seasons. It also featured an interview with Pischiutta. The film premiered, out of competition, at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival in 2012. Few months later, it was screened, with Spanish subtitles, in Havana, Cuba, where Bruno Pischiutta and Daria Trifu were invited by the Romanian Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Cuba Dr. Dumitru Preda and by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (I.C.A.I.C.).
As an artistic portfolio and poster photographer, he worked with many actors and actresses. Recently, he took the photos that appear on the posters for the 2013, 2014, and 2017 editions of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.
In 2013 he produced, with Daria Trifu, the 24 min. documentary Brasov International Film Festival & Market 2013 (2014) with a budget of $850K. The film features Trifu and actress Denisa Barvon. The documentary was released in 2014.
In 2015, Daria Trifu wrote an original story which Pischiutta develop into a screenplay that was copyrighted in 2017 with the working title: "Untitled 906". This was added to the slate of eight other screenplays he has previously written for Global Film Studio. The last of the ten screenplays is still being written today, in 2022, with the working title: "Spa". For various reasons, Pischiutta has decided not to reveal the titles and content of these last two films until their release.
In 2016, Global Film Studio moved its European headquarters to Greece. Since then, in addition to writing the latest scripts, holding workshops, and being a presenter at the annual Global Nonviolent Film Festival, Pischiutta is working on the development of the company's six divisions in order to establish Global Film Studio as a large and fully functioning international film Studio.
In 2016, the Global Nonviolent Film Festival took place online for the first time. This move brought the selected films to viewers all over the world. In 2021, Global Film Studio started operations with its distribution division and launched globalcinema.online, a streaming platform where nonviolent films, documentaries, docudramas, animated films and TV series (both features and shorts) are presented on a pay-per-view basis.
During his career, he discovered and launched few talents, and he worked with many personalities in the film, theater, literature, art and business fields. In particular, he discovered Irma Olivero and Liliana Tari in Rome, and he launched their film acting careers. In Milan, he discovered and launched singer Marco Tutino. In Toronto, Canada he discovered and launched film actress Christina Macris and film producer/actress Daria Trifu. In Accra, Ghana he discovered and launched film actors Belinda Siamey and Ruffy Samuel Quansah. In Brasov, Romania he discovered film actress Denisa Barvon.
In addition to his feature films, Bruno Pischiutta has written, directed and produced five documentaries; wrote, directed, produced, cast and anchored three TV Series for a total of 52 episodes; and, wrote, directed and produced over 100 TV commercials that were broadcast nationally in several languages.
Today, he is the chairman of the board Global Film Studio and of two other Canadian corporations, the president of a Canadian corporation that is publicly listed on the stock market in New York City and is the executive in charge of Global Film Actors Agency - a Division of Global Film Studio.
