Gaetano Di Vaio’s Legacy on and off the Screen
This morning our editorial staff was shocked by the news of the death of Gaetano Di Vaio.
After the accident on May 16th and his hospitalization in intensive care, his state of health worsened until his death.
The passing of the Neapolitan producer, director, actor and screenwriter is a great loss not only for the city of Napoli but for the entire world of cinema.
Di Vaio was a character of those you only find in fantastic stories.
After the stormy youth spent as a street boy, during the years of detention at the Poggioreale prison in Napoli, he studied, earning a second chance, turning his back on dark years and becoming a cultural operator.
In 2004, after acting in Peppe Lanzetta’s company, he founded the cultural association Figli del Bronx, today a famous film production company.
He then exposed the difficult and murky streets of the suburbs that he had traveled in his youth, describing social hardship, drug addiction, crime, life in prison, the difficulties of minorities, migrants and the problem of youth unemployment.
His work in cinema is recognized internationally. It allowed him to redeem himself and also help many kids at risk.
Most will remember him as the producer of the television series Gomorrah (2014), in reality he had already produced cinematographic works such as “Sotto la Stessa Luna”(Under the Same Moon) by Carlo Luglio; “Napoli, Napoli, Napoli” ( 2007) by Abel Ferrara; short film Vomero Travel (2009) together with Indigo Film; the documentary “Il Loro Natale” (Their Christmas) (2010) which also sees him as director;
the film “Là-bas” (2011) by Guido Lombardi; the short film “Radici” (Roots) (2011) directed by Carlo Luglio and for which he was also a writer and screenwriter.
And, again, “L’uomo dal megafono” (The man with the megaphone) (2012), directed by Michelangelo Severgnini;
“Interdizione perpetua”(Perpetual ban) (2012) directed by himself;
“Take Five” (2013), directed by Guido Lombardi;
“Ritratto abusivo” (Abusive portrait) (2013) directed by Romano Montesarchio; Until
“Largo Baracche” and “La torre di Davide” (David’s tower), both from 2014, which he also directed.
In 2025, one year after the TV Series Gomorrah, he produced “Per il tuo amore”(For your love), directed by Beppe Gaudino,
In 2017 he wrote “Veleno” (Venom), together with director Diego Olivares and Marcello Olivieri. In 2023 he is among the producers of “Sottocoperta” (Below deck) directed by Simona Cocozza.
Gaetano Di Vaio’s leaves behind an authentic, raw and without frills, a profound and significant work, especially if you want to understand an evil that does not belong exclusively to the Neapolitan city. The suburbs of the world, in fact, are all the same and, for all of them, salvation from damnation lies in culture and still human sensitivity, as he himself demonstrated.
The editorial staff of Napulitanamente is united in the pain of Di Vaio sons: Enrico, Francesco and Antonio.
