Since his studies at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB), he has worked internationally as a writer, director and cinematographer of feature films and documentaries. In his films, he deals with topics such as social stigmatisation or racism. For his work, he has been awarded the Sundance Cinema 100 Award and the Adolf Grimme Award, among others. Since 2007, Ciro Cappellari has been a member of the European Film Academy. He can also look back on two decades of international teaching experience – for example, at the DFFB and most recently as a professor at the CalArts – California Institute of the Arts.