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Valia Santella

Valia Santella

Writer · Born May 24, 1965 (61) · Napoli

Born
May 24, 1965 (61)
From
Napoli
Works as
Writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 57% in 30 days

What are Valia Santella's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
37%
Self
28%
Morality
16%
Survival
8%
Ideas
7%
Society
5%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 5 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 8 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 5

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
10
Contemplative
5
Tense
3
Bittersweet
3
Warm
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Valia Santella's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Tubi (2).

Subscription and free streaming for Valia Santella's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • It Will Happen Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Screenplay

  • La ragazza con la Leica(2026)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Before Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Creator · Writer

  • Elisa(2025)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Story of Frank and Nina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Screenplay

  • The Art of Joy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Writer

  • A Brighter Tomorrow(2023)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • La Sposa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Story · Teleplay

  • The Inner Cage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Writer

  • Three Floors(2021)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Traitor(2019)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Euphoria(2018)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Naples in Veils(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Istanbul Kirmizisi(2017)

    Screenplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Sweet Dreams(2016)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Pericle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Screenplay

  • My Mother(2015)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Io rom romantica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Idea · Screenplay · Script · Story · Writer

  • Honey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Nina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Writer

  • The Black Sheep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    First Assistant Director

  • Armandino e il Madre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Writer

  • Don't Waste Your Time, Johnny! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Casting Assistant · First Assistant Director · Screenplay

  • Te lo leggo negli occhi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Screenplay · Writer

  • Chimera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Second Assistant Director

  • Rehearsals for War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Script Supervisor

  • Notes of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Script Supervisor

  • Aprile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Script Supervisor

  • Sacred Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Script Supervisor

  • Troubling Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Script Supervisor

  • La scuola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Script Supervisor

  • Sud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Script Supervisor

  • Here Comes the Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Script Supervisor

  • Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Script Supervisor

  • The Yes Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Script Supervisor

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles, 34 of them dated from 1991 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Traitor (2019)

$8.9M worldwide

Highest rated

The Traitor (2019)

Midcredits 88th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 35: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting23 of 35: 18 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdOther crew16 of 35: 12 only other crew, 4 with another role

35 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and other crew overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s10 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s12 · crew2020s9 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Valia Santella's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 10 titles divides audiences: 7 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most loved · writer

The Traitor (2019)

Midcredits 88th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 58/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Valia Santella work with?

People who share at least 2 of Valia Santella's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nanni Moretti shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles