Loris Lai

Biography

Loris received a Philosophy and Letters degree at the Roman University, Roma Tre, after completing his thesis on the work of Orson Welles and the aesthetics of editing. He then studied experimental filmmaking in Los Angeles at UCLA. Loris' work at UCLA earned him the Henry Luce Fellowship, the Sloan Fellowship in Film Directing and Screenwriting, and the Zaki Gordon Fellowship from which he received an award for excellence in screenwriting. Loris continued his studies with a full scholarship to The American Film Institute in Los Angeles where he received his MFA in Directing. He wrote and directed his thesis film, April 86. Born in Rome, Loris Lai was raised in a family that introduced him to the diverse world of artistic expression at a very early age. By the age of five, he had begun training in classical piano, studying it for many years. As a young man, Loris' passion for music coupled with his desire to create and communicate on a broader scale led him to pursue the visual arts. Filmmaking immediately became a vital part of his life, harmonizing the bridge between music and film he had been seeking. His latest music video "Green Eyed Monster" was inspired by the love scene in Michelangelo Antonioni's psychedelic cult favorite Zabriskie Point. The video was actually filmed in the same location as the film - Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, CA. Amongst his many other music videos, "Love is Requited" by Academy Award nominee Elisa was conceived with Academy Award winner Milena Canonero. "Love is Requited" was featured in the movie Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, the post-production for which was supervised by Loris and Milena. The song won the Nastro D'Argento for songwriter Elisa, and the video won the 10th edition of the Rome Videoclip Il Cinema Incontra La Musica. Loris recently directed an animated short movie for Tokidoki featuring fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld and his cat. His next animated project with Tokidoki will be for the A.S.Roma soccer team. Loris just wrapt his new feature film, How Kids Roll, co-written with Dahlia Heyman.