Director's Works
Water Aid, First Cup Elena Petitti di Roreto
Director Elena Petitti di Roreto builds layered imaginative
narratives for commercials and fashion films. Taking inspiration
from art and photography, her work is characterized by a strong
attention to aesthetics: details, light and composition.
Based in London, she has worked with worldwide brands
including Hennessy, Harley-Davidson, Bottega Veneta,
Valentino, Hugo Boss, Vogue Italia and i-D.
Her latest, “First Cup” for WaterAid, highlighting the impact
access to clean water has across generations. The film, which
she shot in Zomba, Malawi won Silver for Best Child Direction
at the Kinsale Shark Awards. Other recent work includes the
stark-palette blend of visuals for Aberlour whisky, a visually
lush exploration for VRBO, and her first Super Bowl spot, the
emotional odyssey “Monday” for Publicis Groupe’s “Working
With Cancer” campaign, which won the 2023 Cannes Lions
Health Grand Prix for Good. The film, which Elena also scripted,
tells the story of two people’s complex physical, mental
and emotional journeys as they prepare to return to their
workplaces, as they fight cancer.
Other notable work includes her 34-minute film, ANNA, which
interweaves live performance, interviews, and abstract imagery
to create a multi-dimensional portrait of the iconic opera singer
Anna Netrebko.
After beginning her career as an editor at Milan-based
production company Collateral Films, within a year, she became
the company’s art director, later moving on to become a
freelance art director and director.
Elena has won several prestigious awards in her native country
Italy, including Best New Italian Film at the Fashion Film Festival
Milano in 2016 and 2018.
She received her BA and MA at the New Academy of Fine Arts
in Milan, and studied film at the Pratt Institute in New York,
where she was nominated in the Pratt Institute’s Presidential
List. Elena then went on to study Creative Direction for Fashion
at the London College of Fashion.
