David Bruni is Full Professor (SSD L-ART/06, Cinema, Photography and Television) at the Department of Humanities, Languages, Cultural Heritage, University of Cagliari.

He graduated in 1991 in Film History and Criticism from the University of Siena with a thesis dedicated to Luis Buñuel's “Mexican period” (1946-1955). He obtains a doctoral degree in “Cinema in its interrelationships with theater and new media” at the University of Rome 3, with a thesis on the relationship between cinema and theater in Italian sound cinema under fascism (1930-1943). In 2001-2002 he obtains a postdoctoral fellowship in “Cinema in its interrelationships with theater and other arts,” also at the University of Rome 3.

From 1999 to 2002 he taught at the University of Siena; in 2001 at the National School of Cinema (the current CSC) and from 2014 to 2016 at the Campus Foundation, Mediterranean Studies, Lucca (for the Inter-University Consortium formed by the Universities of Pisa, Pavia and Italian Switzerland).

From 2002 to 2015 he is a Researcher at the University of Cagliari, where he teaches courses in Film History, Theory and Technique of Cinematographic Language and Cinema, Photography and Television in Sardinia, and from October 2015 to January 2022 he is Associate Professor at the same University, where he teaches Film History and Analysis; Theory and History of Photography; History of Italian Cinema.

Since 2013 he has been a member of the teaching board of the Doctorate in History, Cultural Heritage and International Studies at the same university.

Since 2010, he has been a member of the scientific committee of the series “Italiana,” first published by Il Castoro (Milan), then by Donzelli (Rome), and - as of 2015 - of the journal “L'Avventura. International Journal of Italian Film and Media Landscapes.” He is a member of the Board of Directors of AIRSC (Italian Association for Research in Film History), of which he is also Vice President, and a member of CUC (Consulta Universitaria del Cinema).

He has presented communications and papers at numerous conferences, both national and international.

He was in charge of the local unit of the University of Cagliari for the project “The free-range chicken. Cinema and the new consumer culture in Italy (1950-1973),” which received PRIN 2017 funding (2020-2024). He also took part in the activity of some funded projects, including: PRIN 2008 “The process of cadre renewal in Italian cinema. The formation of film culture“ (2010-2012, lead unit: University of Udine); ‘The processes of renewal of ’cadres' in Italian cinema and Sardinia” (2010-2012, University of Cagliari); “Writers of cinema, writings for cinema” (2008-2010, Universities of Sassari and Cagliari); “Sisterhood and sisterhood” (2013-2015, Universities of Sassari and Cagliari); “Audiovisual culture in Sardinia in the era of neo-television” (funded by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, L. R. 15/2006 art. 16 paragraph 3, 2019-2020, call for proposals 2018); “Cultural heritage and audiovisual in Sardinia in the age of neo-television” (funded by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, R.L. 15/2006 art. 16 paragraph 3, 2019-2020, call 2018); ”Cultural heritage and identity constructions: art, cinema and music. The case of Sardinia, from the post-World War II period to the present day. ARCIMUSA“ (UniCA-Fondazione di Sardegna two-year projects, call for proposals 2018, 2019 - ongoing).His research project ‘Aldo De Benedetti, successful screenwriter: from the birth of the of the culture industry to 'appendix neorealism'” (2008-2010) was funded through the ”Fund for the Support of Basic Research and Start-up of Young Researchers 5%.”

From 1994 to 2002 he collaborated with the “Philip Morris Cinema Project Association,” editing numerous découpage and bibliographies for volumes on newly restored films such as Sciuscià (1994), Il cappotto (1995), Il Bell'Antonio (1997), Signore & Signori (1998), La prima notte di quiete (2000), and Pane, amore e fantasia (2002). He participated in the project “IcoN” (Italian Culture on the Net, www.italicon.it) with two modules dedicated to Luchino Visconti (2000) and Italian Cinema from 1930 to 1944 (2002).

He has devoted himself mainly to the study of Italian cinema, with a focus on film analysis combined with archival research, and to the work of some Spanish directors such as Luis Buñuel and Víctor Erice.

He is the author of a total of six research monographs and numerous contributions in volumes or journals, some of them published in A-range periodicals (“Bianco e Nero,” “Fata Morgana,” “La valle dell'Eden” “Immagine,” “Imago”). He co-edited five volumes and, together with Elena Mosconi, the last four Italian editions of Kristin Thompson-David Bordwell, History of Cinema. An Introduction (McGraw-Hill, Milan, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022).