Renzo Martinelli graduates from University with a degree in Languages and Foreign Literature, whereupon he specializes in cinematography at the Advanced School of Social Communication at Cattolica University, and then he obtains a third degree at the Statal University of Milan in Political Sciences. In the 70s he establishes a production company and after a lot of works for documentary and advertising, his debut in cinema takes place in 1993. As a documentary-film maker, in the role of director and producer, he completes over a hundred works, many about the history of art, among which Giulio Romano (about the construction of the Mantua Tea Palace), The Royal Palace of the Gonzagas, The Duomo of Milan, just to mention a few.

His cinema debut takes place in 1993 with "Sarahsarà", the true story of a handicapped black girl with an extraordinary aptitude for swimming, whose great ambition is to participate in the Capri - Naples contest, the world's most grueling long distance race. In '97 he directs "Porzus", the story of the fratricidal massacre between partisans that took place in February of '45. Exhibited at the Venice Film Festival, it was defined the cinematographic event of the year. In 2000 he directs "Vajont," a film about the tragic hydro-electric dam overspill of 1963. Shot in Cinemascope and Extended Dolby Surround, with 270 digital sequences, "Vajont" receives awards and recognitions at major film festivals and exhibitions: a Golden Globe from the foreign press for best direction, a David of Donatello for best film (as voted by the schools), a Golden Cup at St. Vincent for best film, (as voted by the public), Silver Ribbon to Leo Gullotta for best supporting role, the Fellini Prize, Golden Slate, etc... In 2003 Martinelli's film "Piazza delle 5 Lune" re-opens, after 25 years, the notorious Aldo Moro case and critic Tullio Kezich comments: "...a thriller so rigorously exact as to oftentimes give the illusion of being a documentary. Through the artifice of a Super8, he reconstructs the Via Fani Massacre in a way never before seen, driving the story forward with vibrant passion..." (Corriere della Sera - May 9, 2003).

In 2005 the fiction for the Italian television “ La bambina dale mani sporche” featured the famous Italian actress Ornella Muti. The fiction, broadcast January 2005, has been a big success. In 2005, Renzo Martinelli produces and directs the film “the Stone Merchant”, starring Harvey Keitel, F.Murray Abraham, Jane March e Jordi Mollà. The film is released in 2006 and provokes controversies because of the theme treated: the conflict between Islam and the West.

In 2007 he finished a movie about legend of the boxe history: Primo Carnera, who, on June 1933, won the World Heavyweight Championship. “Carnera” is considered the most important post-production job ever made in Europe: 1500 visual shots have been created to give back to life to the Royal Albert Hall in London, to the Wagram Hall in Paris, to the Madison Square Garden and the Garden Bowl in New York.

Now Martinelli is working on the post-production of the epic movie "Barbarossa".

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