Born in Florence, Renato Cenni moved to Genoa in 1911 with his family.
There he studied art, and begun working as a commercial artist and
publishing illustrations in the early 30's. in 1937 he refused to join
the Fascist party and left for Paris, where he stayed for seven years.
On returning, he was incarcerated for months in his Genoa by the Salò
police (he had been condemned in absentia as an enemy of the Fascist
state). Once free, he kept working on his art and, although firmly
based in his town, traveled long around the world. 'Il ponte
dell'universo' is his only cinematographic work. He died in Genoa in
1977.