Giada Colagrande was born in Italy in 1975, a year that marked the beginning of a creative journey that would span decades. She spent her formative years studying in Italy, Switzerland, and Australia, laying the groundwork for her future endeavors.
In 1995, Colagrande's passion for video art and documentaries led her to begin creating her own works, focusing on contemporary art. This marked the start of a prolific period in her career, during which she would go on to produce a series of video portraits of renowned artists.
From 1997 to 2000, Colagrande was part of the art project VOLUME, where she created a collection of video portraits featuring seven contemporary artists: Jannis Kounellis, Alfredo Pirri, Bernhard Rüdiger, Nunzio, Raimund Kummer, Gianni Dessí, Maurizio Savini, and Sol Lewitt. This project showcased her ability to capture the essence of her subjects through her lens.
In addition to her work with VOLUME, Colagrande also directed and starred in three short films: Carnaval (1998),"Fetus - 4 Brings Death" (1999),and "n.3" (2000). These films demonstrated her versatility as a director and her ability to tell compelling stories.
In 2001, Colagrande wrote, directed, and starred in her first feature film, Open My Heart (2002),which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2002. The film received critical acclaim and was selected for numerous international film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival and the Paris Cinema Festival, where it won the award for 'Prix de l'avenir'.
Colagrande's success with Open My Heart led to her being nominated for Best New Director at the Silver Ribbon Awards in 2003. The film was later released in Italy by Lucky Red and in the United States by Strand Releasing.
In 2005, Colagrande directed her second feature film, Before It Had a Name (2005),which she co-wrote and co-starred in with Willem Dafoe. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was later distributed worldwide by Millennium under the title 'Black Widow'.
Colagrande's third feature film, A Woman (2010),was written and directed by her and starred Willem Dafoe, Jess Weixler, and Stefania Rocca. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was later screened at numerous international film festivals.
In addition to her feature films, Colagrande has also directed several short films, including The Woman Dress (2012),which was part of the Prada series "The Miu Miu Women's Tales", and the feature film Bob Wilson's Life & Death of Marina Abramovic (2012),a documentary on the opera directed by Robert Wilson, based on Marina Abramovic's biography.
Colagrande's collaboration with Marina Abramovic continued with the film The Abramovic Method (2013),which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was later shown in art museums around the world.
In 2016, Colagrande wrote, directed, and performed in Padre (2016),a film that starred herself, Willem Dafoe, Franco Battiato, and Marina Abramovic. The film premiered at the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia in Mexico and has since been shown in film festivals around the world.
As an actress, Colagrande has also appeared in Abel Ferrara's Pasolini (2014) and Wes Anderson's short film Castello Cavalcanti (2013). In 2017, she made her debut as a singer, writer, and composer in the project THE MAGIC DOOR, created with Arthuan Rebis and Vincenzo Zitello.
