Massimo Sciacca was born in Bologna, Italy, in 1965. He has been immersed in photography since 1984, focusing particularly on social and documentary photography. In 1991, he became part of the Lucky Star Photo Agency and covered various events for Italian and international magazines, including Epoca, L’Europeo, Sette, Stern, and Der Spiegel. His work includes coverage of the early stages of the war in the former Yugoslavia and the first free elections in Albania in 1992. During the same period, he began documenting the lives of squatters in Bologna, resulting in the extensive ten-year project, B42K. In 1993, he visited Bosnia-Herzegovina for the first time and returned for the next three years to create "Rock Under The Siege," a feature about young musicians in Sarajevo during the war. He also covered the siege of Mostar and the Turkish army's invasion of the Iraqi territory of Kurdistan. In 1997, he documented the people's rebellion in Albania, earning an award at the World Press Photo Contest. In 1998, Sciacca joined the staff of the Contrasto Agency. His assignments included covering the Indonesian riots in Jakarta and producing a reportage on the divisions between the Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus. In 1999, he documented the ethnic conflicts in Kosovo and Serbia and later the conflict in East Timor, receiving the Fuji Prize and the Linea D’ombra award for his work that year. In 2000, he relocated to Hong Kong, focusing on features related to social and cultural changes in South Asia after the Chinese administration took over the former British colony. His work was published in international magazines such as South China Morning Post, Liberation, Stern, Ddonna, L’Espresso, and Marie Claire. In 2001, he covered Koranic schools in the Iranian city of Qom and traveled to western Afghanistan to witness the liberation of the city of Herat from the Taliban by Afghan mujahideens. In spring 2002, he documented the Philippine military training on the island of Mindanao, marking the beginning of a long-term project, "The Paper Tiger," exploring the lights and shadows of one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. During the same period, he collaborated with Roberta Ferrari on his first documentary movie, "After The Siege," depicting post-war life in Sarajevo.In the following years, he embarked on various reportages in different regions, including Argentina, Chile, French Polynesia, and Australia. Since 2008, he has been part of the staff of Prospekt Photographers Agency. In 2009, he produced his first web-doc, "The Iron Curtain Diaries," a multimedia platform commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He also began filming his documentary, "The Armored Life," recounting the story of Pino Masciari, one of the first Italian justice witnesses.

He currently lives and works in Bologna, Italy.