Antonio Dikele Distefano, a writer, author, screenwriter and director, is one of the most interesting and original voices of the new generations. He made his directorial debut with Autumn Beat (2022), his first film, exclusive to Prime Video, an intense work that authentically portrays the lives and dreams of second-generation Black Italians in the world of rap. He is also the creator and writer of Zero, the first Netflix original series with a cast made up entirely of young first- and second-generation Italians.
Earlier, in 2014, he made his debut as an author with the bestseller Fuori piove, dentro pure, passo a prenderti?, which caught the attention of Mondadori, who went on to publish Prima o poi ci abbracceremo (2016), Chi sta male non lo dice (2017) and Non ho mai avuto la mia età (2018, winner of the Premio Fiesole). His latest novel, Qua è rimasto Autunno, came out in 2022.
Dikele is the founder of Esse Magazine, the first magazine to grow entirely online, with over a million followers on Instagram and more than 400,000 YouTube subscribers.
Antonio also runs another project: Dikele, a daily podcast that tackles universal themes, making room for reflections, doubts and everything that makes the human experience authentic and relatable. Every Sunday, instead, comes Anime Night, devoted to Japanese animation.
He is also the author and star of documentaries (Stile Originale), successful branded content (Basement Café with Lavazza and Red Bull 64 Bars with Red Bull) and events of all kinds.
In May 2026 he announced the dates of his first tour, “Dikele a teatro”, starting on 29 November in Naples, continuing with double dates in Rome and Milan, where the first shows have already sold out, and closing in Turin on 11 December. An intimate, direct and unfiltered show in which Dikele turns the theatre into a space of genuine sharing, breaking down the boundary between stage and audience.
