Chiesa began his career in the 1980s working in the U.S. on films by Jim Jarmusch, Amos Poe, and Michael Cimino. His directing and writing credits include The Martello File (Venice Festival 1991); Babylon (Locarno Festival 1994, FIPRESCI award, Torino Festival, 1994; Johnny the Partisan (in competition, Venice, 2000); Working Slowly (Radio Alice) (winner of the Mastroianni award, Venice, 2004), I am With You (in competition at the Rome Festival, 2010); For The Love of A Woman (winner, BiFest 2025); several successful comedies, including Daddy’s Boys (2015), Let Me Introduce You to Sofia (2018), and 30 Nights With My Ex (2020). He directed Quo Vadis, Baby? (2008), the first original series by Sky Italia.