Valerio Gnesini
Author / Director
Born in Bologna, Italy, 1976.
After studying conservation of cultural heritage at the University of Bologna, he worked as a photographer for some local newspapers and national magazines.
In 2007, he started his career in scenography, and then in production for a number of films and TV series for RAI and NETFLIX.
His debut as a documentary film director came in 2014, for Varvilla, which tells a story of a local cooperation in a small village in Northern Italy. His third film, Transumanza Tour, a story of a folk trio discovering the new forms of farming life was presented at over 100 events in various European and Asian countries.
He is known for making films on lifestyles, regional regeneration, environmental and social issues.
Yasue Hagihara
Producer / Translator
Born in Otsu, Japan, 1985.
Before moving to Bologna in 2018 for her academic pursuit, she worked as a project coordinator for seven years in the field of water resource management travelling across the world.
In 2020, she graduated from School of Economics and Management, University of Bologna with Master Thesis in Cultural Economics, which discussed creativity and sustainability issue in the children's literature industry.
In the same year she joined the Kayak Film, mainly to translate pre-/post-production works. Translation is her lifework since 2003.
While she enjoys her new venture in the film industry, she continues to devote her passion to children's literature as a blogger.
Renato Billi
Screenwriter
Born in Forlì, Italy, 1976.
After his technical and musical studies, he met dramaturgy writing for theatres, where he built a long career as a director and occasionally as an actor.
He wrote a series of independent musicals, then studied fictional script at Bottega Finzioni in Bologna.
The experience gained in the theatre immediately brought him a strong bond with film writing: in a short time, he was classified as a finalist in the main Italian screenwriting competitions.
Currently he also teaches fiction writing at Bottega Finzioni where he helps seriality projects directed by authors such as Francesco Piccolo, Michele Cogo, and Franco Maresco.