Giovanni "Nanni" Moretti (; born 19 August 1953) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His films have won accolades including a

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

2001 Cannes Film Festival The 54th Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 20 May 2001. Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullmann was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Italian film ''The Son's Room'' by Nanni Moretti. The festival opened with '' ...

for ''

The Son's Room ''The Son's Room'' ( it, La stanza del figlio) is a 2001 Italian film directed, written and produced by Nanni Moretti. It depicts the psychological effects on a family and their life after the death of their son. It was filmed in and around the ci ...

'', a

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fes ...

at the 1986 Berlin Film Festival for ''

The Mass is Ended ''The Mass Is Ended'' ( it, La messa è finita) is a 1985 Italian comedy film, written, starring and directed by Nanni Moretti. Plot The young priest Father Giulio returns to Rome, his hometown, after a long pilgrimage. Don Giulio hopes to live pe ...

'' and a

Silver Lion The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998. The pri ...

at the 1981 Venice Film Festival for '' Sweet Dreams'', in addition to the

David di Donatello Award The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the '' Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award ca ...

for

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

on three occasions (for ''

Caro diario ''Caro diario'' () is a 1993 Italian-French semi-autobiographical comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Nanni Moretti, who also stars as himself. The film is structured in three anthological episodes, presented as the chapters of Moretti ...

'' in 1994, ''

'' in 2001 and '' Il caimano'' in 2006). Every film he has directed since ''

'' has been shown at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

, and in 2012 he was the president of the Official Competition jury.

Life and work

Moretti was born in

Bruneck Bruneck (; it, Brunico or Ladin: ''Bornech'' or ''Burnech''; la, Branecium or ''Brunopolis'' is the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italian province of South Tyrol. Geography Bruneck rises up in the middle of a wide valley (perhaps ...

, Italy to Roman parents who were both teachers. His father was the late

epigraphist Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

Luigi Moretti, a Greek teacher at Sapienza University of Rome. His brother is literary scholar

Franco Moretti Franco Moretti (born 1950 in Sondrio) is an Italian literary historian and theorist. He graduated in Modern Literatures from the University of Rome in 1972. He has taught at the universities of Salerno (1979–1983) and Verona (1983–1990); in th ...

. While growing up Moretti discovered his two passions, the cinema and water polo. Having finished his studies he pursued a career as a producer, and in 1973 directed his first two short films: ''Pâté de bourgeois'' and ''

The Defeat ''Noonday Dream'' is the third album by British singer-songwriter Ben Howard, released on 1 June 2018. Critical reception "Noonday Dream" has received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating ...

'' (''La sconfitta''). In 1976, Nanni Moretti's first feature film ''

Io sono un autarchico ''I Am Self Sufficient'' ( it, Io sono un autarchico) is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Nanni Moretti. Cast * Nanni Moretti as Michele Apicella * Simona Frosi as Simona * Fabio Traversa as Fabio * Luciano Agati as Giusepp ...

'' (''I Am Self-Sufficient'') was released. In 1978, he wrote, directed and starred in the movie '' Ecce Bombo'', which tells the story of a student having problems with his entourage. It was screened at the Cannes Festival. ''

Sogni d'oro ''Sweet Dreams'' ( it, Sogni d'oro, also known as ''Golden Dreams'') is a 1981 Italian comedy-drama film directed, written and starring Nanni Moretti. It entered the 38th Venice International Film Festival, in which won the Special Jury Prize. ...

'' won the

at the 38th Venice International Film Festival. '' La messa è finita'' won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival. He may be best known for his films ''

'' (''Dear Diary'', 1993; followed in 1998 by a sequel, '' Aprile'') and ''La stanza del figlio'' (''

'', 2001), the latter of which won the

at the

. Moretti has used certain actors several times in his films, generally playing minor roles. His father Luigi appears in 6 films, Dario Cantarelli and Mauro Fabretti in 5, Antonio Petrocelli in 4. More notable Italian actors he has employed frequently in his films include

Silvio Orlando Silvio Orlando (born 30 June 1957) is an Italian actor. Orlando was born and raised in Naples, where he started acting in theatre in 1976. He made his film debut in 1988 with a supporting role in the comedy '' Kamikazen: Last Night in Milan'' ...

, who appears in 5 films (including the role of protagonist in '' Il caimano'') and

Laura Morante Laura Morante (born 21 August 1956) is an Italian film actress. Life and career Morante was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto (Tuscany), the daughter of lawyer and playwright Marcello Morante, who was the son of Irma (née Poggibonsi) ...

, who was featured in ''

'', ''

Bianca Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka ( Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, C ...

'' and ''

''. Having played

waterpolo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...

in the B division of the Italian championship, his experience later inspired his film '' Palombella Rossa'' ("palombella," which literally means "little pigeon," refers to a type of lob shot). His other work has not been widely seen outside Europe, but within his country Moretti is known as a maker of wryly humorous and eccentric films, usually starring himself. His most recent role was in the film '' Mia Madre'' (''My Mother'', 2015) Moretti is also an outspoken political leftist. In 2002, he organized street protests against the government of

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...

. '' Il caimano'' (2006) is in part about Berlusconi's controversies: in one of the three portraits of the Italian prime minister Moretti himself plays Berlusconi. ''Aprile'' also deals with Italy's political situation and Moretti's views on it. His 2011 film '' We Have a Pope'' screened In Competition at the

2011 Cannes Film Festival The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South ...

. He lives in Rome, having been resident since birth, where he is co-owner of a small movie theater, Nuovo Sacher, named like this because of Moretti's passion for

Sachertorte Sachertorte (, , ) is a chocolate cake, or torte of Austrian origin, invented by Franz Sacher, supposedly in 1832 for Prince Metternich in Vienna.Michael Krondl, ''Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert'', , 2011, p. 290: "my best guess i ...

. The short film, ''Il Giorno della prima di Close Up'' (''

Opening Day of Close-Up ''Opening Day of Close-Up'' ( it, Il giorno della prima di Close Up) is a 1996 Italian short film directed by Nanni Moretti. It was screened out of competition at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Moretti plays himself, running the movie theat ...

'', 1996), shows Moretti at his theatre attempting to encourage patrons to attend the opening day of Abbas Kiarostami's film, ''

Close Up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long ...

''. He is not religious. In his words, "I remember the shirts that said 'Thank God I'm an atheist'. Funny. But I do not think so. I'm not a believer and I'm sorry."Interview for Style
Quanto al suo rapporto con la religione: "Ricordo le magliette con la scritta 'Grazie a Dio sono ateo'. Divertenti. Ma io non la penso così. Non sono credente e mi dispiace" His 2015 film '' Mia Madre'' was selected to compete for the

at the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate ...

Filmography

Director

* ''

I Am Self Sufficient ''I Am Self Sufficient'' ( it, Io sono un autarchico) is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Nanni Moretti. Cast * Nanni Moretti as Michele Apicella * Simona Frosi as Simona * Fabio Traversa as Fabio * Luciano Agati as Giusepp ...

'' (''Io sono un autarchico'', 1976) * ''Un autarchico a palazzo'' (1977, TV movie) * '' Ecce bombo'' (1978) * '' Sweet Dreams'' (''Sogni d'oro'', 1981) * '' Sweet Body of Bianca'' (''Bianca'', 1984) * ''

The Mass Is Ended ''The Mass Is Ended'' ( it, La messa è finita) is a 1985 Italian comedy film, written, starring and directed by Nanni Moretti. Plot The young priest Father Giulio returns to Rome, his hometown, after a long pilgrimage. Don Giulio hopes to live pe ...

'' (''La messa è finita'', 1985) * '' Red Wood Pigeon'' (''Palombella Rossa'', 1989) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with ...

'' (''Aprile'',1998) * ''

'' (''La stanza del figlio'', 2001) * '' Il caimano'' (2006) * '' We Have a Pope'' (''Habemus Papam'', 2011) * '' Mia Madre'' (''Mia madre'', 2015) * ''

Three Floors ''Three Floors'' ( it, Tre piani) is a 2021 Italian drama film co-produced, co-written and directed by Nanni Moretti. It is based on the 2017 novel ''Shalosh Qomot'' by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo, moving the setting from Tel Aviv to Rome, and a ...

'' (''Tre piani'', 2021)

Short films

* ''La sconfitta'' (1973 short) * ''Pâté de bourgeois'' (1973 short) * ''The Only Country In The World'' (''L'unico paese al mondo'', 1994 short) * ''

'' (''Il Giorno della prima di Close Up'', 1996 short) * ''The Last Customer'' (2002 short) * ''Il grido d'angoscia dell'uccello predatore'' (2003 short) * ''L'ultimo campionato'' (2007 short) * ''Diary Of A Moviegoer'' (''Diario di uno spettatore'', 2007 short of ''

To Each His Own Cinema ''To Each His Own Cinema'' (french: link=no, Chacun son cinéma : une déclaration d'amour au grand écran) is a 2007 French comedy-drama anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of ...

'') * ''Film Quiz'' (2008 short) * ''Scava dolcemente l'addome'' (2013 short) * ''Autobiografia dell'uomo mascherato'' (2013 short) * ''Ischi allegri e clavicole sorridenti'' (2017 short) * ''Piazza Mazzini'' (2017 short)

Documentaries

* ''Come parli frate?'' (1974 medium) * ''The Thing'' (''La cosa'', 1990 medium) * ''Santiago'' (2018 documentary)

Actor only

* '' Father and Master'' (''Padre padrone'', 1977) – directed by

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...

* ''Riso in bianco: Nanni Moretti atleta di se stesso'' (TV movie, 1984) – directed by Marco Colli * '' It's Happening Tomorrow'' (''Domani accadrà'', 1988) – directed by

Daniele Luchetti Daniele Luchetti (; born 25 July 1960) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Luchetti was born in Rome. He debuted as assistant director for Nanni Moretti in '' Bianca'' (1983) and '' The Mass Is Ended'' (1985) ...

* ''

The Yes Man ''The Yes Man'' ( it, Il portaborse) is a 1991 Italian drama film directed by Daniele Luchetti. It was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Silvio Orlando - Luciano Sandulli * Nanni Moretti - Cesare Botero * Giulio Brogi - Franc ...

'' (''Il portaborse'', 1991) – directed by

* ''

The Second Time "The Second Time" is the first single from Kim Wilde's fourth studio album ''Teases & Dares'' (1984). It was re-titled "Go for It" for the North American market. The track was also Wilde's first release on the MCA record label. Her last few re ...

'' (''La seconda volta'', 1995) – directed by

Mimmo Calopresti Mimmo Calopresti (born 4 January 1955 in Polistena, Calabria) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He has directed 16 films since 1987. His film ''The Second Time'' was entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Sele ...

* '' Te lo leggo negli occhi'' (2004) – directed by Valia Santella – cameo * '' Quiet Chaos'' (''Caos calmo'', 2008) – directed by

Antonello Grimaldi Antonio Luigi Grimaldi, known as Antonello Grimaldi (born 14 August 1955) is an Italian actor, film director, film and television director, and screenwriter. Biography Grimaldi was born on 14 August 1955 in Sassari on the island of Sardinia in ...

* ''Venanzio Revolt: i miei primi 80 anno di cinema'' (2016) – directed by Fabrizio Dividi, Marta Evangelisti, Vincenzo Greco – narrator *''

The Hummingbird ''The Hummingbird'' ( it, Il colibrì) is a 2019 novel by Sandro Veronesi. The novel is presented in fragments with a nonlinear narrative structure and follows the tumultuous life of ophthalmologist Marco Carrera. The novel won the prestigious ...

'' (2022)

Awards

Prix de la mise en scène The Best Director Award (french: Prix de la mise en scène) is an award presented annually at the Cannes Film Festival since 1946. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Co ...

1994: ''

'' **

2001: ''

'' **Prix de la FIPRESCI 2001: ''The Son's Room'' **Carrosse d'Or 2004 **Rome's Award 2006: '' Il caimano'' **Ecumenical Prize 2015: '' Mia madre'' *

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

** Silver Lion – Special Jury Prize 1981: '' Sweet Dreams'' **"Bastone Bianco" Filmcritic Award 1989: '' Red Wood Pigeon'' *

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

** Silver Bear – Jury Grand Prix 1986: ''

'' **Jury C.I.C.A.E Award 1986: ''The Mass Is Ended'' *

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

**Golden Plaque for Best Documentary Short Film 2003: ''The Last Customer'' **Silver Plaque for Best Screenplay 2008: '' Quiet Chaos'' *

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

** FIPRESCI Prize 1994: ''

'' *

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival ( pt, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A non-profit event, the festival is organized ...

**Critics Award 1990: '' Red Wood Pigeon'' * Sudbury Cinéfest **Best International Film 1994: ''

'' *Sant Jordi Awards **Best Foreign Film 1995: ''

'' *Guild of German Art House Cinemas **Guild Film Award – Silver 2002: ''

'' * David di Donatello **Alitalia Award 1986 **Golden Medal of the City of Rome 1986 **Best Actor 1991: ''

'' **Best Film 1994: ''

'' **Best Film 2001: ''

'' **Best Film 2006: '' Il caimano'' **Best Director 2006: '' Il caimano'' **Best Producer 2006: '' Il caimano'' **Best Documentary 2019: ''Santiago'' *

Silver Ribbon The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...

**Best Story 1978: '' Ecce Bombo'' **Best Producer 1988: '' It's Happening Tomorrow'' **Best Story 1990: '' Red Wood Pigeon'' **Best Producer 1992: ''

'' **Best Director 1994: ''

'' **Best Producer 1996: ''

'' **Best Director 2001: ''

'' **Best Producer 2007: '' Il caimano'' **Best Director 2011: '' We Have a Pope'' **Best Story 2011: ''We Have a Pope'' **Best Producer 2011: ''We Have a Pope'' **Ribbon of the Year 2019: ''Santiago'' *

Ciak d'oro ''Ciak'' is a popular Italian film magazine published in Milan, Italy. It is the most popular film magazine in Italy. The title is the Italian word (also spelled ''ciac'', for a film clapperboard. History and profile ''Ciak'' was established in 1 ...

Awards **Best Director 1986: ''

'' **Best Screenplay 1986: ''The Mass Is Ended'' **Best Director 1990: '' Red Wood Pigeon'' **Best Film 1994: ''

'' **Best Director 1994: ''Caro diario'' **Best Screenplay 1994: ''Caro diario'' **Best Film 2001: ''

'' **Best Director 2001: ''The Son's Room'' **Best Film 2006: '' Il caimano'' **Best Director 2006: ''Il caimano'' **Best Screenplay 2006: ''Il caimano'' **Best Film 2011: '' We Have a Pope'' **Best Screenplay 2011: ''We Have a Pope'' **Best Director 2015: '' Mia madre'' **Honorary Ciak d'oro 2019 *UBU Awards **Best Italian Movie 1977/78: '' Ecce Bombo'' *

Globi d'oro The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was established in 1960 and it has as jury the Rome Foreign Press Association. The first awards ceremony took place in 1960 and was won by the film ...

Awards **Best Debut 1977: ''

'' **Best Film 1994: ''

'' **Best Film 2011: '' We Have a Pope'' * Cahiers du cinéma **Best Film 1989: '' Red Wood Pigeon'' (ex equo with ''

Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, ...

'') **Best Film 1994: ''

'' **Best Film 2011: '' We Have a Pope'' **Best Film 2015: '' Mia madre''

References

External links

filmlinc.com; accessed 12 December 2014. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moretti, Nanni 1953 births Living people Male actors from Rome Italian film directors Italian humanists Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Italian male film actors Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners David di Donatello winners Ciak d'oro winners European Film Awards winners (people) Nastro d'Argento winners Directors of Palme d'Or winners People of Venetian descent People of Campanian descent

Life and work

Filmography

Director

Short films

Documentaries

Actor only

Awards

References

Further reading

External links