Direction • Production • Communications

About us

PoPaCi Pictures is an audiovisual production company based in Ticino, founded on 28 January 2026, specialising in the development and production of short films and feature films.

Our activity goes beyond film production and extends to promoting audiovisual culture through the organisation of events and the design of installations. Our work is part of a broader field of research that investigates the relationship between image, technology and contemporary society, with particular attention to the implications of artificial intelligence.

The Merge Film Festival was conceived as a space for encounter and dialogue, becoming the natural extension of the PoPaCi project across the canton. The festival serves as a cultural platform where cinema and artificial intelligence are brought together to challenge the viewer to reflect on creative processes and on the ways in which these technologies redefine the imagination and the experience of reality.

Organizational Team

The project is developed by a team of young authors and professionals
working in film and the visual arts with skills that integrate artistic research,
production, and organization.

Organising team

Dario Cirrincione

CEO & Artistic Director

A Swiss director, writer, audiovisual programmer and producer, Dario Cirrincione serves as General Manager and Artistic Director of the Merge Film Festival. He is co-founder of the independent company PoPaCi Pictures SNC, through which he develops film and art projects as well as cultural initiatives in Switzerland and internationally. He directed Present, a short film that explores and blends various expressive formats, including the use of artificial intelligence. The film has been selected for several international festivals, including the World AI Film Festival.

Organising team

Francesco Poloni

COO & Artistic Director

A Swiss director, writer, audiovisual programmer and producer, Francesco Poloni serves as Chief Operating Officer and Artistic Director of the Merge Film Festival. He is co-founder of the independent company PoPaCi Pictures SNC, through which he develops film and art projects and cultural initiatives between Switzerland and the international scene. He directed the short film Tusen Toner, which was selected for the Pardi di domani section of the 2025 Locarno Film Festival, where it won the SRG SSR Silver Pardino, one of the leading awards dedicated to emerging filmmakers.

Organising team

Liam Pagnamenta

CFO

Swiss producer and audiovisual programmer Liam Pagnamenta serves as CFO of the Merge Film Festival. He is co-founder of the independent company PoPaCi Pictures SNC, through which he develops film and artistic projects and cultural initiatives in Switzerland and internationally. He is currently producing a short film created entirely using artificial intelligence, which explores AI and its impact on the human condition, examining how it redefines perception, identity and our relationship with reality.

Organising team

Gabriele Crasci

CCO

Editor, director and audiovisual creator, Gabriele Crasci serves as Communications Director of the Merge Film Festival. In this role, he coordinates and strategically guides the entire communications department, defining its operational guidelines and objectives, and overseeing the activities of the press office, the editorial team and the festival’s marketing, visual identity and branding departments.