Paolo Emilio Landi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paolo Emilio Landi is an Italian theatrical director, journalist, and documentarian. He has filmed worldwide a number of documentaries for RAI (National Italian Broadcasting Company). He directed plays at several different theatres in the US, in Russian Federation and former Soviet Union.
Landi made his professional directing debut with the Italian national premiere of After Magritte (1986), by the English author Tom Stoppard.[1] with scenery designed by the American painter Jack Frankfurter. His following production, The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco,[2][3] was performed in Italy,[4] France (Avignon Festival), the USA (Richmond, Virginia), and Russia (Omsk and Saratov).
After the fall of the Berlin Wall he continued his career in former URSS. In 1990 he worked in the previously closed town of Omsk.[5] Omsk Drama Theatre, Russia[6] He was the first director to stage an absurdist play, The Bald Soprano, in a Russian State Academic Theatre of the USSR.[7][8]
He went on to stage 30 shows in academic and public theaters in cities throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Omsk,[9] Samara, Saratov,[10][11] Riga,[12] Vilnius, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk. and Ufa. In 2025 his Ladies's Night at Samara Academic Drama Theatre, reached 500 performances becoming one of the longest running show in all Russia. [13]
In the late nineties Paolo Emilio Landi traveled to the United States for his production of The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.[14][15][16] He then began a long association with the University of Richmond (Virginia) where he has been visiting scholar and instructor of theater and documentary-making.[17] During his time at the university he specialized in creating experimental works with students and faculty.[18]
Television
In 1982 Landi began collaborating with the television program Protestantesimo on Raidue (the State Italian Broadcasting Company) as a director, journalist and host. During his time with the 50-year old program, he produced hundreds of news stories, documentaries, musical programs and studio interviews.[19]
In 2001 he became a member of the Order of Journalists of Lazio. He has directed and produced documentaries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.[20]
For Rai WORLD,[21] (The Other Italy), he filmed more than 400 portraits of Italians living in South Africa, mostly in the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. He recently released a 14 episodes serie called "Cape to the Equator".
In 2015 Landi released a documentary on Nelson Mandela, broadcast on Italy's RAIDUE, as well as France 2,[22] RSI [23] (the Italian Swiss Broadcasting company) and RTS (the French Swiss broadcasting company)[24]
Landi most recent film work includes three documentaries shot in Washington, DC and New York City, USA. They are: L'ultimo giorno (9.11.2001) (The Last Day); So Help Me God (Trump at the White House); 100 giorni di Trump. (Trump's First Hundred Days). He filmed the last interview with late Winnie Madizikela Mandela.in 2024 released Namibia, the desert, a 55 minutes documentary for RAI. Since 2014 he directed more than 400 doc-stories about Italians around the world. He's also author of Cape to Equator, a filmed journey in 8 south-african countries, broadcast by RAI ITALIA.
