Elena Rossini is an Italian film director, producer, editor and public speaker.
Rossini’s most notable film is The Illusionists, a feature-length documentary about consumer culture and the marketing of unattainable beauty ideals around the world. Filming locations included the U.S., U.K., the Netherlands, France, Italy, Lebanon, India and Japan. The film has been featured in Vogue Italy, New York Magazine, Mic, NPR, Fox45 and Teen Vogue, amongst others. Rossini has been taking The Illusionists on tour, showing it at the biggest companies in Silicon Valley (Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter) and at dozens of schools in the United States and Europe (most recently: Harvard University, University of Chicago, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley).
Rossini is also the founder and editor-in-chief of No Country for Young Women, a website whose aim is to provide positive role models for young girls. The site features over 100 interviews of women representing five continents, seven decades, and over two dozen professions – from NASA engineers, to illustrators, architects, filmmakers and entrepreneurs.
In September 2017 Rossini started creating GIFs of female and minority filmmakers, in an effort to promote their visibility. The project – #ThisIsWhataFilmDirectorLooksLike – has been written about in Mashable, the Huffington Post Australia and A Plus. It was also recently featured by the New York Times Gender Initiative on their social media.
In addition to these projects, Rossini also works as a freelance director, producer and film editor. Rossini’s most recent collaboration is with Irish toy company Arklu, for the Lottie dolls video campaign “Inspired by Real Kids” – which premiered at InspireFest 2017.
Rossini is a 2014 alumna of the prestigious Young Leaders program by the Council for the United States and Italy.
As of early 2025, Rossini has been advocating about the Fediverse – a galaxy of open-source ethical social networks – via her blog The Future is Federated. For an always up-to-date list of what she is currently doing, please refer to this page: NOW.
SPEAKING
Rossini has spoken at numerous international conferences and is a 2014 alumna of the prestigious Young Leaders program by the Council for the United States and Italy.
Here is a selection of companies, universities and conferences that have invited Rossini to speak and screen her work:
- Apple
- The New York Times (London)
- Harvard University
- University of Chicago
- Cornell University
- UCLA
- Northwestern University
- U.N. Women (L.A.)
- InspireFest
- The 3% Conference
- Soho House (Westwood)
- The Italian Embassy (Paris)
JOB REQUEST: WORK WITH ELENA ROSSINI
Do you want to hire Elena Rossini for a photo shoot or for a film?
Rossini is available for freelance photography and video assignments:
— photographer (portraits, travel, reportage)
— film director
— cinematographer
— editor
— fixer (assisting foreign film crews in Italy and France)
To get in touch with Rossini about availability and rates, please email: hello [at] elenarossini [dot] com
Keep Exploring This Site:
Additional links:
- Browse all of Elena Rossini’s projects
- Rossini’s latest documentary project: The Realists (in production)
- Photo galleries
- Contact Elena Rossini
