Federico Pierotti

Federico Pierotti is an Associate Professor of the History of Cinematographic Techniques and Practices at the Section of History and Aesthetics of Cinema, University of Lausanne, since August 2024. He previously held positions at the University of Florence (2009–2022) and the University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens (2022–2024). His academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Florence (2006) on color in Italian cinema.

His research bridges the history of technologies and visual studies, focusing on color aesthetics, post-war European cinema (particularly Italian and Portuguese), industrial films, and scientific imaging via infrared/ultraviolet spectra. He has authored four monographs, edited five volumes, and contributed to conferences globally. He serves on the editorial boards of L’Avventura and Immagine, and is part of Palermo University’s Visual Culture doctoral school.

Pierotti’s work includes visiting professorships at Sorbonne Nouvelle (2022), Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (2020), and Toulouse Jean Jaurès (2017). His 2016 Columbia University-funded project explored color as a ‘spectator technique,’ culminating in his book La Couleur: A Cinematographic Passion (2020), defining a modern episteme of color in cinema.

He actively participates in academic governance, contributing to journals and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on cinema’s technical and cultural dimensions.