Lorenzo Cicconi Massi

Lorenzo Cicconi Massi, Contrasto

Students at the Beijing Guoan Football Club school practice heading techniques, on 1 October 2006. The school is in an isolated spot about 70km from Beijing, and has some 200 pupils between the ages of 15 and 18. The boys all board at the school, and the curriculum focuses entirely on physical training and soccer techniques. On weekends they play matches against other Chinese youth teams.

Lorenzo Cicconi Massi is an Italian photographer and filmmaker based in Senigallia, Ancona. He began his career in the 1990s with the Contrasto agency, and since 2000 his black-and-white work has appeared in leading Italian and international magazines.

In 2003, he made his cinematic debut as screenwriter and director of Prova a volare. His photography has earned several major awards, including a World Press Photo prize (2007) and the Amilcare G. Ponchielli Award for his project Fedeli alla tribù. He directed the documentary I Remember Mario Giacomelli on the tenth anniversary of the photographer’s death, and his work has been exhibited at Paris Photo and in collaborations with Italian brands through the Altagamma project.

In 2021, he was named MFI – Master of Italian Photography by the Italian Federation of Photographic Associations (FIAF).