The team
The people who organize, curate and build the Darkest Film Fest: from artistic direction to the curation of each section, through to communications.
Giuseppe Briffa
Founder & Artistic Director
An expert in the aesthetics of cinema, video editor for independent labels and art director for Sicilian cultural associations. Co-manager of the Biblios Cafè, he curates Cinedrome events and coordinates collaborators. Former director of the “Remo Romeo” Cinema Museum in Siracusa.
Paola Tusa
Co-Founder & Copywriter
Editorial and audiovisual translator, copywriter. She runs the Biblios Cafè together with Giuseppe Briffa, organizing cultural events in Siracusa's historic center.
Francesco Pasqua
Curator & Organizer
Lecturer in Film History at the Academy of Fine Arts of Siracusa. Director, screenwriter and writer - his books include Pulp Kitchen and La cucina incantata for Trenta Editore, and the novel La ragazza che amava Miyazaki (Einaudi Ragazzi), winner of the 2025 Premio Selezione Bancarellino.
Cristina Cosma
Curator & Organizer
Filmmaker, photographer and editor with solid experience in the technical side of film production. She cultivates a critical eye toward cinema and the visual arts as a space for expressive research and experimentation.
Arianna Vinci
Theatre Curator
Born in 1995, she graduated as a professional actress from the Academy of Ancient Drama Arts of Siracusa (INDA) in 2016, training with directors such as Federico Tiezzi, Gabriele Lavia and Moni Ovadia and working alongside Paola Gassman, Ugo Pagliai and Piera degli Esposti. A voice actress for the Vaccaro-Mauceri puppet company from 2016 to 2023, she now directs and adapts theatre productions - including tribute shows such as the one dedicated to Anna Marchesini - and teaches acting.
Fabio Belluomo
Music Curator
A lover of metal and rock music, his favorite genre is death metal. Bassist for Siracusa's Infernalia since 1994. A devoted collector of records in every format, a reader of novels, essays and music magazines. In his spare time, a selector of rock and related genres. For Cinedrome ETS, he curates "Profondo Sonoro" (films, moku and docs) on the emblematic figures and music scenes that have shaped history. Organizer and instigator of the live formats Profondo Estremo and Into The Void.
Vincenzo Orsini
Music Curator
A guitarist since childhood, he's a musician, producer and songwriter with a strong passion for alternative rock and 90s/2000s psychedelia. Guitarist and creative mind behind the projects Five Tons of Flax (electronic) and Orsini (Italian alt-rock), he also plays with the cover bands Nebula Pop and Old Boys.
Caterina Italia
Philosophy Sessions Curator
A teacher and P4C – Philosophy for Community trainer, she heads the CGIL Study Centre in Siracusa. For Cinedrome, she curates CC4C – Cine Caverna 4 Community workshops. Cinema as a trigger, philosophy as a collective practice. Images, music, literature, art and everyday life come together to question the present. CC4C sessions aren't explained: they're walked through. A community of thought for happily restless minds.
Davide Carnemolla
Curator
A graduate in Economics and Management, he has cultivated a deep passion for culture and the arts since he was young. A student of film history, he explores its language and evolution.
Tommaso Randazzo
Collateral Events Curator
A social educator with a degree in Literature and Educational Sciences. A former theatre and social-writing trainer at the University of Florence, he has published essays on educational work and the novels Zoologia Urbana (2022) and Bordellain (2024).
Francesco Chilardi
Graphic & Web Designer / Social Media Manager
Graphic designer with over 6 years of experience. He turns complex ideas into simple, impactful images. Passionate about design and visual communication.
Claudio Pavia
Graphic Designer
A graduate in Industrial Design from Politecnico di Milano, he collaborates with local and emerging companies on graphic, multimedia and entrepreneurial projects.
Marilena Toscano
Press Officer
A journalist for Giornale di Sicilia and contributor to La Sicilia, she works in press offices and collaborates as a freelancer with various news outlets. A member of the Sicilian Order of Journalists.