Francesco Carrozzini (born September 9, 1982) is an Italian-born director and photographer based in the United States. In 2016, he made his feature directorial debut at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival with the documentary '' Franca: Chaos and Creation''. In 2022, his first narrative feature, '' The Hanging Sun'', closed the

79th Venice International Film Festival The 79th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2022, at Venice Lido in Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Eur ...

. He is known for his

portrait photography Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective Photographic lighting, lighting, Painted photography backdrops, backdrops, and poses. A portr ...

and has directed music videos for artists including

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

, Lana Del Rey,

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

and Lenny Kravitz. He has also directed commercials for brands such as

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

and

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

Early life

Carrozzini was born in Monza, Italy. The son of Franca Sozzani, former editor-in-chief of Italian ''Vogue'', he grew up in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. He began taking pictures and making short films with friends in his early teens. In the summer of 1999, he relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to study film at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

Career

Film

Carrozzini's first film job came at age 23, when he directed a commercial for the 51st Venice Biennale,GENIO PARPETUO BUENNALE DI VENEZIA
/ref> commissioned by advertising agency McCann Erickson. He traveled to Poland the following year to shoot a documentary about the life and creative process of the Polish Theatre Wierszalin.Wierszalin (2007), di Francesco Carrozzini - CinemaItaliano.info
/ref> Later that year, he collaborated with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on the creation of a project that became known as "The New York Times Screen Tests," a collection of intimate video interviews with entertainment figures that included Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, and Marion Cotillard. The series received a nomination in the "New Approaches - Daytime Entertainment" category at the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.NOMINATIONS: 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
/ref> In 2008, Carrozzini directed the short film "1937", a psychological thriller shot in Suite #822 of the infamous

Chelsea Hotel The Hotel Chelsea (also known as the Chelsea Hotel and the Chelsea) is a hotel at 222 West 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Built between 1883 and 1884, the hot ...

, which screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival."1937" - 2008 - shorts - filmitalia.org
/ref> In the years since, he has directed commercials for clients such as

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

, Fiat 500 and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2009, his Ray Ban promo "Color Goes Pop" received a Young Director Award nomination at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2013, he began directing music videos and has collaborated with musicians

, Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz, amongst others. In 2016, Carrozzini debuted his first feature-length film, a documentary focusing on the life and legacy of his mother entitled '' Franca: Chaos and Creation''.Franca: Chaos and Creation
/ref> The film, which took Carrozzini roughly six years to complete, highlights the groundbreaking accomplishments of Sozzani's career in fashion publishing while also exploring the more personal relationship between a mother and her son. ''Franca: Chaos and Creation'' premiered on September 2, 2016, in the "Cinema Nel Giardino" category at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. The film had its North American premiere as part of the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 8, 2016Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Spotlight Films, World Cinema and Shorts Programs
/ref> and was featured at AFI Fest in Los Angeles. In March 2017, the film was honored with a

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

presented by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.Silver Ribbon Doc. Special award for Franca. Chaos and Creation
/ref> The film was released worldwide through Netflix on October 1, 2017.nglish Subtitled> In 2021, Carrozzini directed his first narrative feature film, '' The Hanging Sun'', an adaptation of the novel ''Midnight Sun'' (2015) by Jo Nesbø. The film stars Charles Dance, Peter Mullan, Alessandro Borghi and

Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley (2010–2012) in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama featu ...

. ''The Hanging Sun'' had its world premiere as the closing film at the

on September 10, 2022, Carrozzini also directed a few episodes of the Netflix Original Series '' Supersex'', based on the life of iconic porn star Rocco Siffredi which premiered at the 74th Berlinale and was released in March 2024 worldwide.

Photography

Carrozzini is also known for his portrait photography; he has photographed a diverse range of contemporary pop culture icons including actors

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

, Robert De Niro,

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

, and

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...

; models Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum,Heidi Klum by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> Linda Evangelista,Linda Evangelista by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> Milla Jovovich,Milla Jovovich by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> Stephanie Seymour and Tyra Banks; musicians

, Lana Del Rey,Lana Del Rey by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> Sting, Keith Richards,Keith Richards by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref>

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, and

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, as well as artists Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Andres Serrano,Andres Serrano by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> and Marina Abramović.James Franco and Marina Abromović by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> He has also worked with several political figures; among them, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,Ban Ki-Moon by Francesco Carrozzini
/ref> and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.Michael Bloomberg Covers L'Uomo Vogue
/ref> Carrozzini's images have appeared on the covers and in the pages of: '' Vanity Fair'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...

'', '' W'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', '' L'Uomo Vogue'', '' Vogue Italia'' and '' Pop'', among others. His advertising client list includes Apple Inc., Estee Lauder, Biotherm,

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

, Mini Cooper, Roberto Cavalli, Ermenegildo Zegna, Salvatore Ferragamo, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's, Baume & Mercier and Chopard.

Personal life

Carrozzini dated singer Lana Del Rey from 2014 until 2015. In 2018, Carrozzini married Bee Shaffer, the daughter of '' Vogue'' editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and child psychiatrist David Shaffer. They have one child. In 2019, Carrozzini set up the Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics in memory of his mother, the fashion journalist Franca Sozzani, and to support research at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard into preventative genomics. The initiative was funded through the sale of clothes from Sozzani's collection after her death.

Videography

Filmography

Cinematography

Exhibitions

*March 2004: Video installation "Pause", Duomo Cathedral, Milan *May 2007: Solo photography exhibition, "Unique Exposure", Galleria Cardi, Milan *May 2010: Solo photography exhibition, "Portraits", Diane Von Furstenberg Gallery, New York *January 2012: L'Uomo Vogue cover shots included in Sotheby's charity auction celebrating the magazine, Paris *May 2015: Solo photography exhibition, "Portraits", Istanbul'74 Arts Festival, Istanbul *September 2015: Solo photography and film exhibition, "Music", Earth Gallery, Paris

Awards and recognition

*In 2017 Carrozzini's movie Franca: Chaos and Creation was awarded the Nastro D'Argento (Silver Ribbon) by the Italian film press. *In February 2016 Carrozzini and his team received an award from Global Green acknowledging the achievements for work done with Connect4Climate, part of the sustainable branch of the World Bank. *In September 2013, Carrozzini was included on Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List.

Venice Film Festival Jury

*In 2019, Carrozzini was a juror for the Venice Virtual Reality section at the 76th Venice Film Festival alongside

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

and Alysha Naples.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrozzini, Francesco 1982 births Living people Italian film directors Italian photographers Italian emigrants to the United States People from Monza UCLA Film School alumni University of Milan alumni People from Greenwich Village