Cosima Spender, the daughter of British artists, was born and raised in Italy, then moved to England when she was 14 years old. She graduated in anthropology and art history from the University of London, then earned a degree from London's National Film and Television School in 2001. She has directed three documentaries for the BBC: The Importance of Being Elegant (2004), Dolce Vita Africana (2008), and Without Gorky (2011), the latter screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest, Britain's largest documentary festival, among others. Spender has also directed commercial work for the music industry. She lives in London with her two children and her husband, editor Valerio Bonelli, who cooperated on the documentary Palio.
50. MFF Karlovy Vary