After a PhD in Sociology, Erica Barbiani left the secluded academic world with a longing for storytelling. Plots, she suspected, were a better way to capture the audience’s attention. Since 2003, she has been producing films for Videomante, a company based in Italy. Her recent productions include “The special need” by Carlo Zoratti, co-produced with DETAiLFILM, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and winner of the Golden Dove at Dok Leipzig, and “The good life”, the first documentary of the Italian author Niccolo Ammaniti. Erica is a published author of two novels: her latest work, “Guida sentimentale per camperisti” will be published next October by Einaudi. She is currently co-writing the script of “Wishing a star” with Slovakian director Peter Kerekes, and working as selector for training programs such as the TorinoFilmLab and the Biennale College Cinema.