About Us
Melancholia Pictures is a UK and Romania-based production company focused on original independent feature films, shorts and series that defy convention. We campaign for profound narratives with global reach by working among international co-productions spanning Europe, North America, and Asia.Our work presents on the world stage with involvement at the largest film markets and festivals such as Festival de Cannes, Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, and beyond. Our team navigates every layer of filmmaking—vision to execution, strategy to screen—delivering stories that demand to be seen.Founded by and composed of young, multifaceted talent, Melancholia Pictures embodies the future of cinema. We provide a platform for unique voices yet to be heard, opening doors for developing artists and turning the chaos of human conflict and passion into visual brilliance.Melancholia Pictures produces world-class, award-winning projects through thought-provoking storytelling to resonate across diverse audiences. We work to create an immersive experience blending film with other art forms, while ensuring a seamless pre- and post-production process to provide the highest quality.Meet the Team
Mara Cracaleanu
Founder / Head producer
Mara Cracaleanu is a Romanian-born London-based film producer.She has won over 60 international awards and official selections at Academy Award Qualifying and well-known film festivals such as Torino FF, BFI Flare, Hollywood Women's Film Institute, DocuDays, FipaDoc, Watersprite, Rhode Island, etc. her projects being screened and distributed in several countries. She regularly participates in markets such as the EFM, Marché du Film, MIA and at festivals, Cannes, Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, TIFF, BFI. The docu-series project she is developing was selected and pitched at the MIA Market in the Doc Forum, as well as in the Ex Oriente Lab, organised by the Institute of Documentary Film.
She also serves as a jury member at 3 US-based film festivals and is a member of Women in Film & TV UK and Women In Film Los Angeles.
Mara is the founder of the London-based film production company Melancholia Pictures, with a focus on international co-productions, bridging a way between Europe, North America and Asia, and is currently developing several international projects.NICCOLÒ SALVATO
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / DIRECTOR / WRITER
Niccolò Salvato is a London-based, award-winning writer, director, and producer. He graduated in Film at the University of Westminster, London.Working across Narrative Film and Documentaries, his work has been screened worldwide across multiple renowned festivals and film theatres.He is currently developing the long-form of his latest narrative short with EP:IK Pictures, as well as shaping a docuseries with Melancholia Pictures based on his latest short documentary shot in Italy’s largest high-security prison. The docuseries was selected at the prestigious MIA Market and it’s part of the Ex Oriente Program.Niccolò is in development with his first feature documentary and in early development for an original, fiction feature screenplay.CYNTHIA HILL
CREATIVE EXECUTIVE / WRITER
Cynthia Hill is an American actor, writer, and creative director based in Los Angeles. She has appeared in projects on Tubi, Tokyo Broadcasting System, and independent films, while also lending original creative concepts to luxury brand campaigns.A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Telecommunications, she gained extensive experience in multimedia journalism, with her work airing on television and radio for PBS and NPR. She was also an on-screen host and producer for Gator Vision, the production arm of Gator sports media, alongside ESPN and SEC Network.She was selected for an International Artists & Writers Residency at Château d'Orquevaux in France and awarded The Denis Diderot Grant and The Emerging Artist Grant to complete a project that will be a part of the Château's permanent collection. Cynthia will be working on her debut book of poetry/prose, visual media, and early development of an adapted screenplay.