Artist Snapshot: Alice Airoldi
Origin Story: Growing up in Milan, Italy, I belonged to a small Protestant church in a predominantly Catholic country, which made me experience firsthand what it’s like to be treated with suspicion and mistrust just because of who you are and what you believe in. This made me feel like an outsider throughout most of high school, but it’s also what first drew me to filmmaking—its power to shift perspectives and create empathy was the missing piece I had been looking for.
I decided I would make it my profession.
I left everything and everyone I knew behind, and I embarked on a plane to Boston, Massachusetts to study Visual and Media arts at Emerson College. I was struck by how many different identities and ethnicities coexisted in the U.S., how differences were celebrated and not hidden. It was a new experience for me, and although I now know it’s far from perfect, the multiethnic nature of this country is what made me feel welcomed and accepted.
When I moved to L.A. I decided to expand my focus from writing and directing to editing, which was really my first love in filmmaking, and I have gotten the chance to collaborate with some amazing filmmakers through it.
Pipeline Accolades: Film Pipeline Short Film Finalist (The Same Story)
Accolades: For my short film The Same Story:
- Screened at 16 international film festivals
- Best Drama at the KAPOW Film Festival—Los Angeles (CA)
- Best Director of Narrative Film, Best Actress of Narrative Film, Best Make-up and Costume Design of Narrative Film at the Garoa Awards—São Paulo, SP Brazil
- Semi-Finalist at the Lonely Wolf: London International Film Festival
- Best Editing (Honorable Mention) at the Florence Film Awards—Florence, Italy
- Best of the Fest (2nd place) at the Feel The Reel International Film Festival—Florence, Italy
- Best short film (nominated) at the Nevada Women's Film Festival—Las Vegas (NV)
- Watch The Same Story on Nòtstream
On Being an Artist: I have somewhat resisted calling myself an ‘artist’ for most of my life. As a society, we have over-dramatized artists’ lives and placed expectations on how they are supposed to act and be like, while accusing them of not having real jobs and avoiding adult responsibilities. There is also an unhealthy obsession with "natural talent," making it somehow more meaningful than hard work, and this has never sat well with me. The truth is that making art, no matter the medium, is a lot of hard work, and there is nothing glamorous about that. There is nothing glamorous about the crippling self-doubt that comes with it, either. Maybe I have resisted calling myself an artist because deep down I wish I could choose a more straightforward career path and be done with it. But then again, where would the fun and self-torture be in that?
Fueled by: The passion, talent and hard work of my friends and collaborators. Nothing fuels me more than seeing them succeed and make work they’re proud of!
Currently: I am writing my next short film, which will deal with how isolating the world of conspiracy theories can be.
Someday: I try to keep my goals vague because I think adaptability and change of plans are very important (aka they keep me sane), but when I think of an ideal future, I always have the same image come to mind: I see myself on a panel at a film festival with other industry professionals who I hold in high regards. I keep all my other goals short term, it helps me stay in the moment.
