SARA PAGANELLI
About me
Why do I act?
Because I love telling stories to people.
Born in Bologna, adopted by Milan.
As a girl, I spent my Saturday afternoons devouring old comedies with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, Hitchcock films, Truffaut, and you name it.
After classical high school, I graduated in Law. I could have become a lawyer, but the call of the stage was too strong. I enrolled at Teatro della Contraddizione school in Milan and never stopped.
Theater was the place where I learned to develop, as Hamlet would say, my "method in madness."
The shows I'm most attached to: Die Privilegierten with Teatro della Contraddizione, L'Ora grigia by Agota Kristof with TeatroIdea in Brescia, and Ma non parliamo di me (Let's Not Talk About Me), the comedic monologue I wrote and performed.
And then came film.
In film and TV, I play dramatic roles—women facing crises, mothers in extreme situations, characters with real conflicts. You can see me in the TV series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (Disney+, 2025), Doc - Nelle tue mani (RAI), Made in Italy (Amazon), and other projects where I tell the complexity of ordinary women in their extraordinary stories.
In commercials, I let out my ironic and light side. I'm the smiling mom, the friendly neighbor, the girl next door. I've worked for brands like IKEA, Estathé, ITA Airways, and many others.
When I'm not acting, I love singing and listening to 80s/90s music. I'm an avid reader. Whenever I can, I escape to my house on Lake Maggiore, where I find peace and inspiration. And I never say no to a good "Lago Breeze," my favorite non-alcoholic cocktail with ginger and mint.
credits
FILM and TV
2025 THE TWISTED TALE OF AMANDA KNOX - HULU TV series
Supporting - Arctic Fox Prod. dir. Cate Shortland + others
2022 DOC - IN YOUR HANDS - RAI TV series
Guest star - Lux Vide Prod. dir. Giacomo Martelli
2021 KM 0 - Short Film
Co-star - SCMILANO Prod. dir. E.Bergader
2020 SECURITY - Feauture Film
Supporting - Indiana Prod. dir. Peter Chelsom
2019 MADE IN ITALY - TV series
Supporting - Mediaset Prod. dir. Luca Lucini
e Ago Panini
2019 MY KIND OF LOVE - Short Film
Co-star - Prod. IED Milano dir. D.Pizzo
2018 DAL GESTO ALLA DANZA - Short Film
Co-star - Spina Prod. dir. Antonella Spina
2013 BACK TO SCHOOL -TV miniseries
Co-star - Nickelodeon Prod. dir. B. Ferrando
2012 SCHOOL PILLS TV miniseries
Co-star - DeaKids dir. Domenico Ciolfi
2011 MADDALENA'S SONG -Feature Film
Supporting - Mauca Film dir. Mauro Campiotti
2008 OLD LADIES FROM MONFERRATO
Short Film - Lead
SkyCinema Prod. dir. Fabrizio Lupano
2007 GET READY - Short Film
Supporting - Fairy Tales Prod. dir. Alex Villamira
FILM ( as director)
2018 SWIMMING – TODAY I DECIDE
Short Film - ContieneSogni Prod.
COMMERCIALS
2025 IKEA Co-star
MOVIE MAGIC Prod. dir. J.van Hellemond
2025 ARMOLIPID PLUS Co-star
SELFLESS Prod. dir. F.Nani
2024 ITA AIRWAYS Co-star
Wearesocial Prod. dir. R.Brandini
2023 ESTATE' Co-star
TLF Prod.
2023 ALMO NATURE Co-star
Cloverthree Prod. dir. V.Musilli
2023 TELEPASS Co-star
Overclock Prod. dir. R.Sbarra
2021 POLTRONESOFA' Co-star
Pierrotelarosa Prod. dir. R.Badò
2019 MY BANK Co-star
PuntoMov Prod. dir. L. Castillo
2019 THE RIGHT MOMENT Co-star
Creativi Dig. Prod. dir. D.Giudici
2009 ADIDAS Co-star
Akita Prod. dir. E. "Salmon" Homboe
2008 SKYSPORT Co-star
Akita Prod. dir. E. "Salmon" Homboe
2008 VODAFONE SLK Co-star
The Producer Company
STAGE (Partial List)
2018 THE GREY HOUR - Play
Role: She
Idea Teatro dir. M. Bonomi
2017 LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT ME - Play
Role: Elena
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. M. Bonomi
2017 WOMEN AT THE AGE OF ARISTOTELES
Reading - ContieneSogni Prod.
2016 NON ESISTE FRONTIERA
Reading - VillaBuzzati Prod.
2015 CINECITTA' HERE I AM - Play
Role: Sara P.
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. Luca Busnengo
2013 THE STRANGE STORY OF A MERLOT GLASS
Play - Role: Giulia
Onion Square Prod. dir. Luca Busnengo
2011 HOP FROG - Play
Role: Queen
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. Paolo Trotti
2009 THE BALL - Play
Role: Marguerite / Mother
Spazio89 Prod. dir. Alberto Oliva
AWARDS (as DIRECTOR)
2018 SPECIAL MENTION at LONDON WORLDWIDE COMEDY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - AUTUMN SESSION
2018 HONORABLE MENTION at ONE-REELER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL – LA
TRAINING (Partial List)
2024 FRANCESCA DE MARTINI ( N.FLACKS TRAINING)
2020 GABRIELLE ROSE CARTER (animal work)
2019 AUDITION GAME PROGRAM – Acting Pros LA ( auditioning technique)
2008-2015 MICHAEL MARGOTTA WORKSHOPS ( script analysis, scene study, sensory work )
2010-2012 ELENA ARCURI ( voice )
2006 MAMADOU DIOUME (phisical theatre)
2004-2008 TEATRO DELLA CONTRADDIZIONE DRAMA SCHOOL (Graduate)
SKILLS
MUSIC: SINGING SOPRANO chorus and solo singing
(Conservatorio di musica di Trento Graduate)
INSTRUMENT: PIANO (BASIC)
LANGUAGES: ITALIAN(native) ENGLISH(fluent) FRENCH(good)
ITALIAN ACCENTS: BOLOGNESE, MILANESE, ROMAN
OTHER SKILLS: ITALIAN TEACHER FOR FOREIGNERS (IBE teacher)
CAR DRIVING LICENCE
FILM and TV
2020 SECURITY - Feauture Film
Supporting - Indiana Prod. dir. Peter Chelsom
2019 MADE IN ITALY - TV series
Supporting - Mediaset Prod. dir. Luca Lucini e Ago Panini
2019 MY KIND OF LOVE - Short Film
Co-star - Prod. IED Milano dir. D.Pizzo
2018 DAL GESTO ALLA DANZA
Short Film - Co-star - Spina Prod.
dir. Antonella Spina
2013 BACK TO SCHOOL -TV miniseries
Co-star - Nickelodeon Prod. dir. B. Ferrando
2012 SCHOOL PILLS TV miniseries
Co-star - DeaKids Prod.
dir. Domenico Ciolfi
2011 MADDALENA'S SONG -Feature Film - Supporting - Mauca Film
dir. Mauro Campiotti
2008 OLD LADIES FROM MONFERRATO
Short Film - Lead -SkyCinema Prod.
dir. Fabrizio Lupano
2007 GET READY - Short Film
Supporting - Fairy Tales Prod. dir. Alex Villamira
FILM ( as director)
2018 SWIMMING – TODAY I DECIDE
Short Film - ContieneSogni Prod.
STAGE (Partial List)
2018 THE GREY HOUR - Play
Role: She
Idea Teatro dir. M. Bonomi
2017 LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT ME - Play
Role: Elena
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. M. Bonomi
2017 WOMEN AT THE AGE OF ARISTOTELES
Reading - ContieneSogni Prod.
2016 NON ESISTE FRONTIERA
Reading - VillaBuzzati Prod.
2015 CINECITTA' HERE I AM - Play
Role: Sara P.
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. Luca Busnengo
2013 THE STRANGE STORY OF A MERLOT GLASS
Play - Role: Giulia
Onion Square Prod. dir. Luca Busnengo
2011 HOP FROG - Play
Role: Queen
ContieneSogni Prod. dir. Paolo Trotti
2009 THE BALL - Play
Role: Marguerite / Mother
Spazio89 Prod. dir. Alberto Oliva
COMMERCIALS
2019 MY BANK Co-star
PuntoMov Prod. dir. L. Castillo
2019 THE RIGHT MOMENT Co-star
Creativi Dig. Prod. dir. D.Giudici
2009 ADIDAS Co-star
Akita Prod. dir. E. "Salmon" Homboe
2008 SKYSPORT Co-star
Akita Prod. dir. E. "Salmon" Homboe
2008 VODAFONE SLK Co-star
The Producer Company
AWARDS (as DIRECTOR)
2018 SPECIAL MENTION at LONDON WORLDWIDE COMEDY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - AUTUMN SESSION
2018 HONORABLE MENTION at ONE-REELER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL – LA
TRAINING (Partial List)
2020 GABRIELLE ROSE CARTER (animal work)
2019 AUDITION GAME PROGRAM – Acting Pros LA ( auditioning technique)
2008-2015 MICHAEL MARGOTTA WORKSHOPS ( script analysis, scene study, sensory work )
2010-2012 ELENA ARCURI ( voice )
2006 MAMADOU DIOUME (phisical theatre)
2004-2008 TEATRO DELLA CONTRADDIZIONE DRAMA SCHOOL (Graduate)
SKILLS
MUSIC: SINGING SOPRANO chorus and solo singing
(Conservatorio di musica di Trento Graduate)
INSTRUMENT: PIANO (BASIC)
LANGUAGES: ITALIAN(native) ENGLISH(fluent) FRENCH(good)
ITALIAN ACCENTS: BOLOGNESE, MILANESE, ROMAN
OTHER SKILLS: ITALIAN TEACHER FOR FOREIGNERS (IBE teacher)
CAR DRIVING LICENCE