Sergio Amidei (30 October 1904 – 14 April 1981) was an Italian

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and an important figure in Italy's neorealist movement. Amidei was born in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

. He worked with famed Italian directors such as

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...

and

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the fil ...

. He was nominated for four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

: in 1946 for ''

Rome, Open City ''Rome, Open City'' (), also released as ''Open City'', is a 1945 Italian Italian neorealism, neorealist war film, war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rom ...

'', in 1947 for '' Shoeshine'', in 1949 for ''

Paisà ''Paisan'' () is a 1946 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. In six independent episodes, it tells of the Liberation of Italy by the Allied forces during the late stage of World War II. The film premiered at the Ve ...

'' and in 1961 for '' Il generale della Rovere''. In 1963 he was a member of the jury at the

3rd Moscow International Film Festival The 3rd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1963. The Grand Prix was awarded to the Italian film ''8½'' directed by Federico Fellini. Jury * Grigori Chukhrai (USSR - President of the Jury) * Shaken Ajmanov (USSR) * Se ...

. In 1975 he was a member of the jury at the

9th Moscow International Film Festival The 9th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1975. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Polish film '' The Promised Land'' directed by Andrzej Wajda, the Soviet-Japanese film '' Dersu Uzala'' directed by Akira Kurosawa ...

. The city of

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

has established an international recognition dedicated to him, which rewards the best film screenwriters annually. He died in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Biography

He began his career as a film writer by adapting the lives of historical figures in films such as Pietro Micca or Don Bosco (1935 film) in the period immediately before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In the

Post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

period, the advent of the neorealist movement brought him closer to the likes of

and Vittorio De Sica, with whom he collaborated on the screenplays of some of the major works of the period, from

to Sciuscià. He also worked in parallel as a producer and production manager; in 1949 he founded the film production company Colonna Film in

. Nominated four times for an Academy Award, he was awarded two

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), 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 Cin ...

and two

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 ...

. The city of

has established the Sergio Amidei Prize, an international award dedicated to him, which honors the best screenwriters on the world film scene. He was romantically linked, for a time, to actress

Maria Michi Maria Michi (24 May 1921 – 7 April 1980) was an Italian supporting actress who worked with Roberto Rossellini on his two early Neorealism (art), neorealism films: ''Rome, Open City'' and ''Paisan, Paisà''. Michi worked first as a typist at ...

. He died on April 14, 1981, in Rome. He is buried at the

Campo Verano The Campo Verano (Italian: ''Cimitero del Verano'') is a cemetery in Rome, Italy, founded in the early 19th century. The monumental cemetery covers a surface area of 83 hectares which is currently divided into several sections: the main Catholic ...

Selected filmography

* '' Don Bosco'' (1935) * ''

Pietro Micca Pietro Micca (6 March 1677 – 30 August 1706), also known as Pierre Micha, was an Italians, Italian soldier who became a national hero of the Duchy of Savoy for his sacrifice in the siege of Turin, defence of Turin against the Kingdom of France, ...

'' (1938) * '' The Count of Brechard'' (1938) * '' Battles in the Shadow'' (1938) * '' The Night of Tricks'' (1939) * '' Then We'll Get a Divorce'' (1940) * '' The Prisoner of Santa Cruz'' (1941) * '' The Last Dance'' (1941) * ''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...

'' (1942) * ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' (1942) * '' Don Cesare di Bazan'' (1942) * '' The Queen of Navarre'' (1942) * '' Farewell Love!'' (1943) * '' I'll Always Love You'' (1943) * ''

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

'' (1943) * '' The Son of the Red Corsair'' (1943) * '' Sad Loves'' (1943) * '' The Priest's Hat'' (1944) * '' Crime News'' (1947) * '' The Other'' (1947) * ''

Pact with the Devil A deal with the Devil is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to traditional Christian belief about witchcraft, the pact is b ...

'' (1950) * '' Paris Is Always Paris'' (1951) * '' The Machine That Kills Bad People'' (1952) * '' The President of Borgorosso Football Club'' (1970)

References

External links

* 1904 births 1981 deaths Burials at Campo Verano Mass media people from Trieste 20th-century Italian screenwriters David di Donatello winners Italian male screenwriters 20th-century Italian male writers {{Screen-writer-stub