Gianluca Panella
Visual Journalist
Gianluca Panella is an independent italian photojournalist focused on social reportage, current affairs and portraits. He has covered Balkans, Egypt, Haiti, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Gaza, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, Kiribati Islands, the United States, Europe. His photography has been featured in a variety of Italian and international publications.
After a background in Political Science he began as a self-taught photographer. He then studied photojournalism with Leonardo Brogioni in Milan before starting his career with local daily newspapers. In this same period he met Romano Cagnoni who instilled in him the ideal of photojournalism as a deep responsibility. From 2007 to 2012, Panella collaborated with the MassimoSestiniNewsAgency, producing work for the mainstream Italian press.
Panella ended his collaboration with the agency in order to dedicate himself to personal projects, among which his long term projects “Behind The Lathmeh” about the human side of the Palestinian Resistance’s fighters. Work that later became a long, deep analysis about the state of captivity of the population into the Gaza Strip, which he is still working on. “Bijanibiha” a long term project about women’s Palestinian resistance into the Gaza Strip. “Tanit Project,” a social-environmental documentary work on the Mediterranean Sea that will retrace the routes of ancient Phoenicians by sail. “The Concordia Show” a cinical review of the touristic and media circus on the Giglio Island during tragedy of the capsize of the Costa Conocrdia ship. “Adrift” a work came from his personal experience on a raft boat with refugees off the coast of the Lesbos Island, in Greece.
AWARDS
“Fishing Under Fire” is shortlisted at the Amnesty International Press Awards 2014.
Among his work, “Adrift” is awarded at The Monochrome Award 2015: a work about his personal experience with refugees on- board a raft boat between Turkey and Greece.
“First Day” and “Parkour Strip”, won honorable mentions at the 2013 International Photography Awards, “Gjakmarrje” earned two honorable mentions at the 2012 International Photo Awards, and “The Concordia Show” was awarded an honorable mention at the 2012 International Photo Awards and the Foto8 Summershow.
He was a finalist for the Leica Award 2013 and the Leica Talent 2012.
His exhibitions have included “Caliber 3” at the 2013 Festival of Ethical Photography and The “Concordia Show” at the Foto8 Summershow and at “A World Elsewhere” with the Royal Shakespeare Company.