Sergio Navarretta


Sergio Navarretta is a multiple award-winning film director best known for his feature film Looking for Angelina, based on the true-life story of Angelina Napolitano. The International Women of the World in
Bologna, Italy honored Navarretta with a special award on September 18, 2010, for his work on the film. Navarretta is a founder of S.N.A.P. Films Inc.
Navarretta has directed several other projects including the short film, Serena DeBergerac, and the award-winning Over a Small Cup of Coffee, which premiered at the Toronto Italian Film Awards in June 2001. He directed the documentary Going to the Movies, which premiered in September 2002 at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television screening series, and the dramatic film, Il Bagno, which was accompanied by a live string ensemble at its world premiere in June 2002 at the Toronto Italian Film Festival. In 2003 he directed another short film, Commedia, an operatic piece inspired by Commedia dell’arte characters and aerial acrobatics, which appeared on Bravo! later that year. In 2012 he directed The Fortune Cookie and it won a Best in Shorts Award and in 2014 he directed En Plein Air which showcased at Nuit Blanche in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
In 2015 Navarretta directed, The Colossal Failure of the Modern Relationship, a comedy/drama shot entirely in Niagara's wine country. Starring Krista Bridges, Enrico Colantoni and David Cubitt. The film had its world premiere at the Niagara Integrated Film Festival; its western Canada premiere at the Whistler Film Festival and its U.S. premiere at Sonoma International Film Festival. The film won the Castlepoint Numa Award at the ICFF festival in Toronto. Navarretta is a founding member of the Town of Innisfil's Arts Culture and Heritage Council and served as Vice Chair of that council for a year.
In 2015, he began production and service produced on, starring Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, James Franco, Heidi Klum, John Cleese, Anjelica Huston, Omar Sy, Michael Madsen, and Laurie Holden.
In 2018, he directed The Cuban, starring Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. and Shohreh Aghdashloo. The film, shooting in Brantford and Brant County in southern Ontario through mid-May, also stars actress Ana Golja, Giacomo Gianniotti and Lauren Holly.

Early life and education

Navarretta's parents were both born in Italy and immigrated to Canada in 1969. All his relatives and extended family still live in Italy, Argentina and the US. Alfina Mastroianni, Navarretta's mom was born in Dragoni, Caserta Italy. She is an entrepreneur. His father, Roberto Navarretta was born in Caiazzo, Caserta Italy, and was a champion of workers rights and equity in the workplace. He worked at IWA and later Steelworkers Union in the legal department. In 1997, he ran in the federal election for the NDP party. Sergio has two younger sisters Raffaella and Jessica.
Navarretta started in music at the age of 5. When he was 12 he won first place in boys vocals at The Royal Conservatory of Music.

Selected filmography