Sydney Sibilia (; born 19 November 1981) is an Italian filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two

Nastri 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 ...

and two

Globi d'oro The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was founded in 1959 by the Foreign Press Association in Italy. The Globo d'oro Awards for Italian cinema are given by the Foreign Press. The fi ...

. He rose to prominence with his debut feature, ''

I Can Quit Whenever I Want ''I Can Quit Whenever I Want'' () is a 2014 Italian crime comedy film directed by Sydney Sibilia. It was followed by two sequels, subtitled ''I Can Quit Whenever I Want: Masterclass, Masterclass'' and ''I Can Quit Whenever I Want: Ad Honorem, Ad ...

'' (2014), which achieved critical and commercial success, being nominated for three

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 ...

, two

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 ...

, two Globo d'oro, and leading to

two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

sequels A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

. After co-founding italian production company

Groenlandia ''Groenlandia'' is a monotypic genus of aquatic plants (pondweed) of the family Potamogetonaceae. The only species in the genus is ''Groenlandia densa''. Opposite-leaved pondweed is a common name for this plant. It is native to much of Europe, w ...

, Sibilia has continued to explore themes of ambition and rebellion in films such as the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original '' Rose Island'' (2020), which earned him the Globo d'oro, and '' Mixed by Erry'' (2023), which has been nominated for the David di Donatello and the Globo d'oro, and won the Nastro d'argento. In addition to film, Sibilia has directed the

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

series ''Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno'' (2024), which was well-received in Italy.

Career

Sydney Sibilia, originally from Salerno, began his career directing short films, notably ''Oggi gira così'' (2010), written with Valerio Attanasio and produced by Ascent Film. The short won several awards, including the

SIAE The Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) is a non-profit collective management organization in the form of a public economic entity with an associative basis, responsible for protecting intellectual works and managing copyright int ...

award for Best Screenplay. After relocating to

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, ...

in 2007, he directed commercials for major campaigns, including

Wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

and

Fox Crime Fox Crime (stylized as FOXCRIME), was a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which aired across several countries of Europe, Africa and Asia such as Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Its basic programming including n ...

, while simultaneously developing his debut feature film, ''

'' (''Smetto quando voglio''). Released in February 2014, the film—produced by

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

, Ascent Film, and

Rai Cinema Rai Cinema S.p.A. is an Italian film production company owned by RAI, the national public broadcaster of Italy. Since its inception, the company has invested nearly €1 billion in the production of over 900 films. History Rai Cinema was forme ...

—was a critical and commercial success, earning twelve

nominations and awards like the

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 ...

for Best Producer and the

for Sibilia as Revelation of the Year. The film’s success led to two sequels: '' I Can Quit Whenever I Want: Masterclass'' (2017) and '' I Can Quit Whenever I Want: Ad Honorem'' (2017), both produced by

, the production company Sibilia co-founded with

Matteo Rovere Matteo Rovere (born 22 January 1982) is an Italian filmmaker. He's the youngest Italian filmmaker to have won the Nastro d'argento for best producer, with ''I Can Quit Whenever I Want''. Life and career Born in Rome in 1982, Matteo Rovere sta ...

. These projects solidified Sibilia’s reputation as a filmmaker blending humor and social commentary. In 2020, Sibilia directed '' Rose Island'', a Netflix original film based on the true story of the

Republic of Rose Island The Republic of Rose Island (; , both literally "Republic of the Island of the Roses") was a short-lived micronation on a man-made platform in the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, built by Italian engineer ...

. The movie was acclaimed for its unique storytelling and themes of rebellion and freedom. Sibilia’s subsequent project, '' Mixed by Erry'', released in 2024, chronicles the rise and fall of Enrico Frattasio, a pivotal figure in the Italian music piracy scene of the 1990s. Produced by

, the film reflects Sibilia's ongoing interest in stories of ambition and unconventional success.

Personal life

Since 2019, Sydney Sibilia has been in a relationship with actress

Greta Scarano Greta Scarano (born 27 August 1986) is an Italian television, stage and film actress. Life and career Born in Rome, Scarano made her professional debut in the TV-series '' R.I.S. - Delitti imperfetti''. Between 2008 and 2009, she played Sabrin ...

. The couple married in 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

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 ...

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 ...

Globo d'oro The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was founded in 1959 by the Foreign Press Association in Italy. The Globo d'oro Awards for Italian cinema are given by the Foreign Press. The fi ...

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sibilia, Sydney 1981 births Living people People from Salerno Italian film directors Italian screenwriters Italian film producers