Luca Capponi, MA
Documentarist and Photographer
We can advance brain health through prevention, early awareness, and by creating communities that reduce isolation.
Current Work
Luca works as an independent filmmaker, creating documentaries and audiovisual projects that explore identity, migration, memory, and community. His practice combines storytelling, social engagement, and international collaboration, with a focus on marginalized voices and human rights.
Personal Hero
Jose Mujica, Sixto Rodriguez, Nan Goldin, and Vittorio De Seta
Words of Strength
Empathy, adaptivity, problem-solving, creativity and cross-cultural communication.
Vision
We can advance brain health through prevention, early awareness, and by creating communities that reduce isolation.
Strategy
Through filmmaking, Lca wants to highlight older adults, caregiving, memory, and social isolation, in order to inform others, reduce stigma, and ease the fear often associated with aging.
Impact
Luca hopes to create a film that offers a deeper and more hopeful understanding of aging. Through an intimate story, he wants to suggest healthier ways of living and caring, while strengthening trust in science for everyone.
Motivation
Italy is one of the world's oldest countries, and dementia often remains a private issue carried within families. Through storytelling, Luca wants to address the fear and silence around cognitive decline, reduce stigma, and raise awareness.
Education & Experience
Luca Capponi is an Italian-Ecuadorian filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. He holds a Master's degree in Cinema and Multimedia Production from the University of Bologna and completed the prestigious three-year documentary program at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. His work explores migration, aging, identity, and social marginalization through intimate, observational storytelling. In collaboration with Field of Vision, his short film Chronicles from Dusk premiered at the Critics' Week of the Venice Biennale before screening internationally. His first feature documentary, Il Pranzo di Francesco, premiered at the Turin Film Festival and was later acquired by RAI Cinema. A 2025 BAVC MediaMaker Fellow, Luca is an active member of the Bay Area film community, where he develops both documentary and fiction projects while mentoring emerging filmmakers. Through his work, he seeks to bridge artistic practice with social engagement, creating films that foster dialogue, empathy, and cultural understanding.
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Luca
a NoteHave ideas for global brain health or a collaboration? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send an introductory note.
