Chiara Sambuchi
Documentary film director, Journalist.
Chiara Sambuchi is an Italian documentary filmmaker born in Pesaro. She studied Philosophy and classical guitar in Italy, followed by Film Studies. Early in her career, she worked as a producer at the RAI correspondent office in Berlin.
She has directed documentaries and reportages for major European broadcasters, including ARD, ARTE, ZDF, YLE, RAI, and the History Channel. Her feature-length films — Wrong Planet, Good Morning Africa!, City of Women, Today, and Spirits I’ve Called — have been screened at leading international film festivals.
Chiara has filmed in post-conflict Uganda, rural Rwanda, and refugee camps at Europe’s borders during the 2014–2015 humanitarian crisis. Her work has received numerous awards, such as the Axel Springer Prize, Impact DOCS Award, and a Honorable Mention from Enfance Majuscule.
Her recent investigative documentary The Deal premiered at CPH:DOX in 2022, while The Srebrenica Tape was featured at Sarajevo Film Festival, Dokfest Munich, and Movies That Matter, winning the Audience Award and Special Mention at Visioni dal Mondo in Milan.
Chiara is also a regular speaker at events organized by universities, NGOs, and European institutions. Since 2022, she has served on the boards of AG DOK and FERA.
Filmography:
The dreamers of St. Denis Author and Director
(in production)
The Srebrenica tape, Author and Director
90’
My dream job in Paris, Author and Director
32’
Chronicle of a environmental disaster, Author and Director
52’, 45’,
The deal, Author and Director
90’
Against the steel work
30’
The spirits that I called, Author and Director
75’
The Oba’s release, Author and Director
Video project for social Media, PIAM and regione Piemonte
Reporters against the mafia
30’
Escaping sex trafficking, Author and Director
30'
Lost Children, Author and Director
52'
The Viagra Chronicles, Author and Director
90'
Europe or Death, Author and Director
30’
The Palace of the stranded, Author and Director
45’
The trip to Mumbai, Author and Director
45’
The race for land, Author and Director
45’
City of woman, today, Author and director
90’
Talents for Germany, Author and director
30’
The turtle and the cage, Author and director
In development, 80’
Valeria’s trip through the Andes, Author and director
30’
Fathers, Author and director
28’
Good morning Africa! Author and director
90’,
A laptop against poverty, Author and director
45’/52’
Wrong Planet, Author and director
75’
Hendrik, Author and director
30’
The last battle of the imperator’s ship, Author and director
52’
My world has Thausend secrets, Author and director
Life and thoughts of high gifted individuals with autism
ZDF, 30’
Sophias new world, Author and director
30’
The bagdad railway, Author
2 x 52’
Locked away, Author and director
30’
Is today Tuesday or May? Author and director
Everyday life with dementia’s patients
30’
Foreign Neighbours, Author and director
The German Islam between Isolation und Integration
30’
Nightmare Iraq, Author and director
Patched-Up and Back to the Front
The mighty product fetish, Co-Author and Co-director
52’
The conscience of the world, Co-Author and Co-dreictor
52’
Awards
For The Srebrenica tape: Special jury mention, international competition and audience award at Visioni dal mondo film festival
For: The deal: Special jury mention, Italian feature lenght competition, Visioni dal mondo film festival
For: Spirits I’ve called: Impact Doc Award 2020
For: Lost children
”Honorable mention”, Prix Média 2018 dans la catégorie documentaire, Enfance majuscule
For: City of women, today
Honorable mention, International women film festival, LA
For: My world has thousand secrets, Life and thoughts of high gifted individuals with autism
First Award of the Axel Springer Academy, 2008
For: Locked Away
Special prize of the jury Axel Springer Academy
For: The conscience of the world
Silver Award at the international Film Festival „Prix Leonardo“, Parma
Festivals
The Srebrenica tape
- Movies that matter film festival, international competition
-Diagonale
- Dokfest München
- Sarajevo Film festival
- Visioni dal mondo film festival
- Unlimited Hope filmfestival
- Willkommen zuhause Film festival
The Deal
-CPHDOX
F:act category, International competition
-DOKUFEST, International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Prizren, Kosovo
International competition
-WIFF, Warsaw International Film Festival
International competition
-VISIONI DAL MONDO Film Festival
Italian feature lenght documentary competition
Spirits I’ve called
-Beyond Film festival 2020
International competition
-Innsbruck Nature film festival 2020
Nominee
-Ekofilm festival 2020
International competition
-BIFED 2020
International competition
Lost children
-Nomination at Prix Europa for the best European TV-reportage in 2017 (Category: Iris)
-FIGRA: Sguardi altrove film festival, Milan, 2018
Competition
The Viagra Chronicles
-TIFF Tirana international film festival
Panorama
-Austin international film festival
Competition "Heart of feature"
-Visioni del mondo film festival
Competition
City of women, today
-International women film festival, LA
Competition
-Milan Film festival “cinema italiano”
Competition
Good morning Africa!
-Vancouver international film festival
Competition
-LaFemme Los Angeles film festival
Competition
-One world film festival, Prague
Competition
-International human right film festival, Kosovo
Competition
-International human right film festival Kampala, Uganda
Competition
„Valeria“
-Duisburger Filmwoche
Competion, category Children program
Wrong Planet:
- Achtung Berlin
Competition
-Belgrad Documentary film festival
Competition
The conscience of the world
-12th International film festival „Prix Leonardo“, Parma, Italy
Competition
The mighty product fetish
-Ecofilms Rodos
Competition