Born in the province of Piacenza, Italy, in 1939. He had a catholic education during his teenage years, and in the late 1950s he joined the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome. One of the greatest directors in the history of Italian cinema, his first feature film is the acclaimed classic “Fists in the Pockets” (1965, 30th Mostra). He also directed “China is Near” (1967, 30th Mostra), “Leap into the Void” (1980, 4th Mostra), “The Eyes, the Mouth” (1982), “Devil in the Flesh” (1986), “The Conviction” (1991), “My Mother’s Smile” (2002), “Good Morning, Night” (2003), “Vincere” (2009, 33rd Mostra), “Sorelle Mai” (2010, 35th Mostra) and “Dormant Beauty” (2012, Critics’ Prize at the 36th Mostra). His work was awarded awards at film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Locarno. At the 40th Mostra, in 2016, he screened some of the most significant films of his career, signed the art design of the poster, and received the Leon Cakoff Prize. After that, he directed films like “Blood of My Blood” (2015), “Sweet Dreams” (2016), “The Traitor” (2019), “Marx Can Wait” (2021, 45th Mostra), and “Exterior Night” (2022), winner of the critics’ prize for best international film at the 46th Mostra.
