Beatrice Segolini graduated in editing in 2016 from the ZeLIG - School for Documentary Film and TV in Bolzano and has since established herself as a film editor and author with a distinctly international profile. In addition to Italian, she speaks fluent French and English and understands German and Spanish. Her key strength both in the editing room and behind the camera lies in her strong sensitivity for dramaturgy and the deep development of characters. Today, she works between editing and documentary directing, bringing her own authorial vision to every project.
As an editor and author, you have a strong sensitivity for dramaturgy and character development. How do you build, or “rewrite”, a character’s emotional journey in the editing room, especially in documentary film?
In documentary filmmaking, editing is a kind of second writing process, perhaps even a second directing stage. It is the moment when the recorded material becomes a story, taking on form and meaning.
When I work with the footage, I begin with an intuition: I try to understand what moves me, what the images are really telling me, and what kind of energy they carry. I am interested not only in what is explicitly present, but also in what is missing – in what remains unspoken or absent. Often, that is precisely where the most interesting core of the story lies.
I then try to identify the main themes and understand what the film is really about. Once that becomes clear, it is much easier to navigate the material and shape the emotional journey of the characters. Every art form becomes powerful when it touches archetypal and universal elements: even when we are telling a very specific story, it is essential to lead the audience emotionally toward experiences and feelings that are universally recognizable. Part of my work is precisely about finding those points of resonance.
Many editors begin by screening all the material in full; I often prefer to start from the essential, from what the film needs to say. Based on the emotions I experience while watching the footage, I try to define the concept, the essence of the story. From there, I develop an initial sense of the narrative arc – often beginning with language, with the page, with the word. The aesthetic, rhythmic and stylistic exploration usually comes later.
You work both as an editor and as a documentary film director. How do these two professions influence one another? Does the editor’s eye also help you when you are on set as a director?
In recent years, I have worked more frequently in editing and in other areas of documentary production, and less often on set as a director than I did about ten years ago, when I made my film The Good Intentions.
In the past few years, I have also explored the documentary approach in other media, creating music videos, multimedia found-footage works, audio documentaries, video installations, and more.
This diversity of experience is a real strength for me. Being an artist, editor, and director allows me to move between different environments and disciplines while maintaining an open mindset. I understand the dynamics behind the camera as well as those in the editing room. I know what it means to be in front of the camera, and I also know how delicate it can be to ask someone to expose themselves and face the lens, especially in documentary filmmaking.
That awareness has a profound effect on the way I work. It allows me to focus not only on what needs to be told, but also on how people are brought into the process. The relationship with the protagonists is crucial and requires sensitivity, listening, and respect.
I would describe myself as a rather conceptual editor: for me, it is important to understand the deeper structure of a project, its themes and its direction. The director and artist in me work together with the editor. These different parts are not separate; they move at the same time and enrich one another. It is precisely this openness of mind that helps me so much in my work.
You graduated from ZeLIG in Bolzano and speak or understand five languages, which allows you to move easily within international projects. How important is this multicultural approach to you, and which experience abroad has most strongly shaped your working style?
Multiculturalism is not only a professional aspect of my life – it is part of my personality. In my daily life, I speak and dream in different languages, sometimes even ending up in a kind of “creole”. This multilingual dimension influences the way I observe the world, relate to others, and approach my work.
Like many colleagues, I feel deeply like a European citizen. The opportunity to engage with different cultures, sensibilities and ways of working is an essential part of my identity. My background in sociology has also contributed to this perspective: I am interested in understanding people, contexts and the social dynamics behind every story.
I also believe this openness is increasingly characteristic of the contemporary generation working in the cultural, artistic and film sectors. Today, it is natural to cross borders, work with international teams and engage with different languages and cultures. For me, however, this is not just a professional necessity; it is a way of living and thinking that feels deeply like my own.
The Local Talents are South Tyrolean filmmakers and professionals selected by the IDM Film & Music Commission who have been active in the local film industry. In short interviews, they talk about what they love about their profession and film.