Gianni Dal Maso

Actor · Director

Vicenza, Italy

Biography

Gianni Dal Maso is an Italian-Venezuelan filmmaker and photographer associated with the Venezuelan Super-8 avant-garde. Born in Vicenza, Italy, he began his career in photography in 1968 as a laboratory technician in his hometown. In 1971 he moved to Milan, where he worked in advertising and assisted photographers such as Giac Casale, David Bailey, Manfredi Bellati, Serge Libis and Harry Pecionotti. After a period working in the publishing sector in Brazil, he migrated to Venezuela in 1977. There he married Chichu Olalde and established himself as a commercial photographer while becoming involved in the experimental film scene. Dal Maso first participated in the Caracas International Super-8 Film Festival in 1978 and became part of the circle of filmmakers linked to the Venezuelan Super-8 movement, collaborating with artists such as Hugo Márquez, Diego Rísquez, Carlos Castillo and Mercedes Márquez. His most notable films include Legado de un aficionado (1978), Y volvió la luz (1979), A la sombra del actor (1980), Un día de muerte (1981) and Arte versus ciencia (1982).