PhD candidate in Global Histories, Cultures and Politics at the University of Bologna, conducting anthropological research on the relationship between land, body and ritual among displaced Batwa communities in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. My work brings together anthropology, decolonial theory, phenomenology and trauma studies, combining academic research with audiovisual ethnography and somatic practice.
My professional background includes several years of experience in cultural mediation, humanitarian access and ethnographic fieldwork in conflict zones, alongside more than a decade of work in documentary filmmaking and narrative photojournalism.
Education
2025–present – PhD in Global Histories, Cultures and Politics, University of Bologna.
2021–2023 – Master of Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology, EHESS Paris / Goethe University Frankfurt. Thesis: (Re-)Constructing the Pluriverse through Indigenous Stories: Digital Media and Kichwa Ontologies in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
2020–2021 – PG Certificate in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, University of the Arts London.
2017–2018 – MSc International Politics, SOAS University of London.
2006–2010 – BA (Hons) International Relations, Arabic and Farsi, University of Exeter / Institut Français du Proche-Orient (Syria).
Research Activity
2025 – present – Doctoral research on somatic ritual, colonial trauma and the reconstruction of presence among Batwa communities displaced from Kahuzi-Biega National Park (DRC).
2024 – Field research and analysis for the European Institute of Peace on case studies of mediation and conflict transformation.
2022 – 2023 – Ethnographic fieldwork with the Kichwa community of Sarayaku (Ecuador) on digital media as a vehicle for indigenous knowledge (kawsak sacha – “the living forest”).
2019 – present – Multimedia documentary project on innovative models of citizen participation in politics around the world (www.journeysthroughdemocracy.com [https://www.journeysthroughdemocracy.com] ).
2018 – 2019 – Field research for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs evaluating the police training mission in Afghanistan (Kunduz), with final presentation to the Dutch Parliament.
Relevant Professional Experience
Extensive experience in cultural mediation, humanitarian access and ethnographic research in conflict-affected contexts.
Research and communications consultant, European Institute of Peace (2024).
Humanitarian access facilitator and negotiator in conflict zones, International NGO Safety Organisation (Afghanistan, Nigeria).
Interpreter, trainer and intercultural mediator in migration, conflict and post-conflict settings for European governments, the United Nations and international and local NGOs (Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan).
Over ten years of experience in documentary filmmaking and narrative photojournalism, including directing, cinematography, editing and writing.
Selected Filmography
Echoes of Bagram (Al Jazeera Witness, 2024) – Director & cinematography; the return of a former Guantanamo detainee to Afghanistan.
Stateless in Syria (Al Jazeera Witness, 2023–2024) – Director of Photography; the story of a British activist trapped in rebel-held territory in Syria.
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year (2015) – Co-director; a human portrait of the Afghan army’s war against the Taliban after NATO’s withdrawal. Winner of the Berlinale Panorama Audience Award and Amnesty International Documentary Award.
The Bridge (in production, 2022–) – Director & cinematography; a film on Amazonian shamanism and the search to rediscover indigenous ways of life in Europe.
Frontline Fighting: The Brits Battling ISIS (Channel 4 / Netflix, 2015) – Cinematography; British volunteers fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Syria.
Languages
Italian (B2), English (native), French (C1), Spanish (B2), Persian/Dari (C1), Arabic (C1), German (C1), Pashto (basic).
Awards and Recognition
Berlinale – Panorama Audience Award (2015).
Amnesty International Documentary Award (2015).
One World Media – Best Feature Documentary (UK, 2015).
Madrid Film Festival – Best Documentary (2015).
