Lia Beltrami

Biography: Dott. Lia Beltrami was born in Trento, a historical city in the Italian Alps. There she obtained a Scientific high school diploma and proceeded to attend University of Trento. She graduated in Modern Languages with the title of Doctor in 1991. Following that, she studied film making at the New York Film Academy in New York It was at that time where she was called to work, promote and develop projects for public health and women's empowerment in various countries in Africa, such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Uganda. In 1997, she founded Religion Today, a film festival, the first in the world, dedicated to interreligious dialogue. It was born with the aim of creating a meeting place of universal value for filmmakers of different religions to reflect of the themes of peace, the environment, coexistence and harmony. The festival has featured over 18,000 films and documentaries and supported more than 2,200 artists and directors around the world. From 2008 until 2015, she was Councillor for Solidarity and Coexistence in the Trentino region. Her mandate was issued on the areas of Immigration, Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities. She led and managed over 125 projects in the area of International Cooperation. During that time, she launched Women of Faith for Peace, which began as a group of eight women, all leaders in their communities, from different faiths and ethnicities in the Middle East. The group aims to inspire and encourage women around the world to engage in the peace process. Women of Faith for Peace has now expanded and includes a much larger group of women. In 2017, Lia received the coveted Golden Lion for Peace award in Venice because of her work and dedication to the cause. She is the International Representative of the group for FAO-UN. In 2014, she launched Aurora Vision, a media company that has produced 40 documentaries and reportage. She and won 167 awards at international festivals. Some of her most recognized documentaries are: Alganesh, on Eritrean refugee camps; Wonderful Tapestry of Life, on the inspiring life of Hon. Anita Evelyn Stokes Heyford; Viva Kino! about Father Kino and the current issue of the border US\Mexico; Ukon the Samurai, about the life of a samurai declared Blessed; COMPLEXion, on skin lightning industry devastating effects in India; Guardians of the Rainforest, on indigenous women activists. More recently, Lia has expanded her role as artistic director for 3 global photo exhibitions entitled, Emotions to Generate Change. The exhibits showcases the journey from the symbolic power of origins to anthropomorphic representation involving the beauty of creation featuring the pure joy of protagonists from around the world. It has been displayed on main stages around the world including St. Peter's Square in Vatican City in 2021\23\24, in New York City, in Dubai for COP, in Davos during World Economic Forum. Throughout her career, she has written several columns and six books. She is married to musician and composer Alberto Beltrami and have two wonderful daughters together.