Biography

Cosimo Scarpello is an Italian director, screenwriter and writer from San Pancrazio Salentino, Puglia. After a career in law and local politics, he turned to literature and cinema, publishing novels such as "La figlia mai avuta" (2017) and "Le ragioni di una coscienza" (2019). He trained as a filmmaker at the Mediterranean Film Academy in Bari and has written and directed several socially engaged short films, including "Una medaglia per Isa" (2024), "Amo il tuo senno" (2024), and "Le regine del corridoio" (2025). His works often explore themes of inclusion, diversity, and civic responsibility.
- IMDb mini biography by: Cosimo Scarpello

In 1995, he graduated in Law from the University of Bologna and soon began a path of academic and professional engagement in the study and dissemination of Criminal Law. From 1995 to 2000, he was a member of the Scientific Committee of the Academy of Legal Studies in Bologna, where he oversaw the teaching of Criminal Law in training courses for aspiring magistrates. In 1998, he contributed nine chapters to the collective work Diritto penale, giurisprudenza e casi pratici ('Criminal Law, judgments and practical cases'), edited by Ugo Di Benedetto and published by Maggioli. The following year, he wrote a commentary on judgment no. 1957/99 of the Court of Cassation, concerning criminal liability in medical-surgical activity. In 2000, he qualified as a lawyer, a profession he practiced until 2015. In 2002, he wrote the legal essay L'archiviazione ('The dismissal of the case'), published by Cedam. From 2006 to 2016, he served as a municipal councilor in San Pancrazio Salentino (BR), holding the positions of deputy mayor and councilor for Culture and Legal Affairs from 2006 to 2011. At the same time, he pursued his passion for writing: in 2012, he wrote the political satire essay (Im)passeport: gli strafalcioni della politica o la politica degli strafalcioni? ('Impasseport: the blunders of politicians or a policy of blunders?'), published by Secop Edizioni; in 2013 Stressbook, published by Secop Edizioni, an analysis of the risks and contradictions of social networks; and in 2015 Perduti ('Lost'), published by Secop Edizioni, an essay on the contradictions of a society in crisis. In 2017, he released his first novel, the psychological revenge thriller La figlia mai avuta ('The daughter he never had'), published by Secop Edizioni, followed in 2019 by Le ragioni di una coscienza ('The reasons of a conscience'), published by Secop Edizioni, a coming-of-age novel about failure and redemption. In 2020 and 2021, he attended the Mediterranean Film Academy in Bari, training as a screenwriter and director. In 2021, he wrote the screenplays for four short films produced by Amarcord: Diventeremo farfalle ('We'll turn into butterflies'), about youth hardship; Come tutti gli altri ('Like everybody else'), on school inclusion; Nel posto giusto ('In the right place'), a comedy of misunderstandings about relationships; and Piacere, Zza Zza ('Nice to meet you. My name is Zza zza'), a light-hearted comedy about youth slang. In 2022, he co-directed the short film Bloodymary, produced by Amarcord, a comedy of misunderstandings, and directed Il nostro lavoro ('Our job, our duty'), produced by Amarcord, a poignant depiction of the struggles faced by doctors and healthcare workers during the pandemic. In 2023, he published his third novel, L'ombra del senatore ('The shadow of the senator'), published by Edizioni Esperidi, a legal thriller intertwining politics and child prostitution, and directed the short film Un pezzo di carta ('A worthless piece of paper'), produced by Epifanio Ferdinando High School, focused on school inclusion. In 2024, he wrote and directed Una medaglia per Isa ('A Medal for Isa'), produced by Epifanio Ferdinando High School with the Carabinieri Corps, on teenage black challenges, and Amo il tuo senno ('I love your mind'), produced by Municipality of San Pancrazio Salentino, dedicated to breast cancer prevention. In 2025, he created the short film Le regine del corridoio ('Hallway Queens'), produced by Epifanio Ferdinando High School, an intense work that sensitively and realistically addresses the delicate issue of bullying in schools.
- IMDb mini biography by: Cosimo Scarpello