Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Lorena Luciano is a fellow of the Sundance Institute, the MacArthur Foundation, and the International Documentary Association (IDA), and an alumna artist-in-residence of the Jacob Burns Film Center. Born and raised in Italy, she studied law in Milan before moving to New York to pursue filmmaking, and her legal background informs the accuracy and ethics of her storytelling, resulting in rigorous investigative narratives woven with intimate cinematic arcs.
Her films have resonated with global audiences, winning Best Directing, Best Documentary, and Best Audience awards, traveling to major festivals, being translated into over ten languages, and distributed worldwide. She has earned deep trust and access among diverse communities—from refugee survivors and overlooked coal communities to subversive artists and political activists—portraying their lives through vérité filmmaking, intimate interviews, and rich archival material.
Her HBO documentary It Will Be Chaos won the Emmy Award for Best Current Affairs Documentary. Her latest feature, Nuns vs. the Vatican, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and went on to receive awards at DOC NYC, the Hamptons Doc Fest, and Doclands. She also works as an editor on socially engaged documentaries and serves on international festival juries.
Please List the Title of Your Film at BIFF 2026
NUNS VS THE VATICAN
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
The film that influenced me early on (and one I’ve returned to many times) is François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. It made me think deeply about how film allows us to sit with someone’s vulnerability without trying to explain it away. It’s a poignant film—fiction, but with the rawness and emotional truth of something real.
That experience shaped how I understand storytelling and representation. I’ve always felt strongly about the agency of participants and the importance of letting people remain whole and self-defined within a film. That belief continues to guide how I approach every project.
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
I have a growing list of filmmakers that gets longer every time I see something I really like. I love Italian cinema, especially Neorealism, and I’m a big fan of Federico Fellini (my favorite being 8½). But when it comes to documentaries, I appreciate different styles and approaches—from Werner Herzog with his unique voice-over, to strict vérité filmmakers like Barbara Kopple, to archival master Asif Kapadia, and to fearless Agnès Varda.
What are you working on that no one knows about?
I’ve been trying to finally organize and archive thousands of photos that have been sitting untouched for about two decades. It’s an ongoing negotiation with time—and infinite procrastination…
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Who would play you in a movie?
I’d say Meryl Streep—she doesn’t bend to power or money, handles urgency with purpose, and can do an Italian accent.
What’s your go-to movie snack?
Honestly, I don’t snack while watching movies—not even at home. I get too distracted by my own chewing 😂
What’s the film title that best describes your life
Onwards!
