About

Known credits:
52
Birthday:
1945-01-20
Place of birth:
Magisano, Catanzaro, Italy
Website:
N/A

Gianni Amelio

Overview

Gianni Amelio (born 20 January 1945; Catanzaro) is an Italian film director. His film "The Way We Laughed" (1998) won a Golden Lion at the 55th Venice Film Festival.

Amelio was born in San Pietro di Magisano, province of Catanzaro, Calabria. His father moved to Argentina soon after his birth. He spent his youth and adolescence with his mother and his grandmother. The absence of a paternal figures will be a constant in Amelio's future works. During his university studies of philosophy in Messina, Amelio got interested in cinema, writing as film critic for a local magazine. In 1965 he moved to Rome, where he worked as operator and assistant director for figures such as Liliana Cavani and Vittorio De Seta. He also worked for television, directing documentaries and advertisements.

Amelio's first important work is the TV film "Sun City", directed in 1973 for RAI TV and inspired to Tommaso Campanella's work. This was followed by "The Cinema According to Bertolucci" (1976) a documentary about "1900" shooting, and the thriller "Special Effects" (1978). Two years later he directed the mystery "Death at Work" (1978), which won prizes at Locarno and Hyères festivals. "The Little Archimedes" of 1979 was also critically acclaimed. In 1982 he debuted for cinema proper with "Blow to the Heart" (1982), about Italian terrorism, presented at the Venice Film Festival. In 1987 Amelio released "Via Panisperna Boys", about the lives of 1930 Italian physicists such as Enrico Fermi and Edoardo Amaldi, which won the award for best screenplay at the Bari Film Festival. 1989's "Open Doors", featuring Gian Maria Volonté, confirmed Amelio's status as one of Italy's best film directors and won a nomination as Best Foreign Film at 1991 Academy Awards. The film received also four Felix, two Silver Ribbon, four David di Donatello and three Golden Globes awards. Also successful was "The Stolen Children" in 1992, which won the Special Prize of Jury at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival plus two Silver Ribbon and 5 David di Donatello. In 1994 "Lamerica", about Albanian immigration in Italy, repeated the fate and the success, with 2 Silver Ribbons and 3 Davids. Four years later, "The Way We Laughed" won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Amelio gained another Silver Ribbon as best director for "The Keys to the House", inspired to a novel by Giuseppe Pontiggia, of 2004. Amelio was a member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. In 2006 he released his eighth feature film, "The Missing Star", featuring Sergio Castellitto. From 2009 to 2012 he has been director of Torino Film Festival, Turin.

Amelio came out as gay late in life, shortly before the release of his 2014 documentary "Happy to be Different".

Known for

Acting
2019 Colpiti al cuore Actor Self 58
Average
2011 Voi siete qui Actor Self (voice) N/A
N/A
1992 Joannis Amelii, animula vagula blandula Actor Self N/A
N/A
1970 The End of the Game Actor l'accompagnatore 58
Average

Directing
2024 Battlefield Directing Director 59
Average
2022 Lord of the Ants Directing Director 62
Fair
2020 Hammamet Directing Director 59
Average
2019 Pastime Directing Director N/A
N/A
2017 Someone Else's Home Directing Director N/A
N/A
2017 Tenderness Directing Director 60
Fair
2015 Class Register. Second Book 1968-2000 Directing Director N/A
N/A
2015 Class Register. First Book 1900-1960 Directing Director N/A
N/A
2014 Happy to Be Different Directing Director 59
Average
2013 Intrepido: A Lonely Hero Directing Director 59
Average
2011 The First Man Directing Director 59
Average
2006 The Missing Star Directing Director 59
Average
2004 The Keys to the House Directing Director 59
Average
1998 The Way We Laughed Directing Director 59
Average
1994 Lamerica Directing Director 60
Fair
1992 The Stolen Children Directing Director 61
Fair
1990 Open Doors Directing Director 59
Average
1989 Via Panisperna Boys Directing Director 59
Average
1982 Blow to the Heart Directing Director 59
Average
1982 The Sailing Ships Directing Director N/A
N/A
1979 The Little Archimedes Directing Director 59
Average
1978 Special Effects Directing Director N/A
N/A
1978 Death at Work Directing Director N/A
N/A
1976 The Cinema According to Bertolucci Directing Director 59
Average
1973 Sun City Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 The End of the Game Directing Director 58
Average
1968 The Seven Cervi Brothers Directing First Assistant Director 59
Average
1967 Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! Directing Assistant Director 59
Average

Writing
2024 Battlefield Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2022 Lord of the Ants Writing Screenplay 62
Fair
2020 Hammamet Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2020 Hammamet Writing Story 59
Average
2019 Pastime Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2017 Tenderness Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
2014 Happy to Be Different Writing Writer 59
Average
2013 Intrepido: A Lonely Hero Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2013 Intrepido: A Lonely Hero Writing Story 59
Average
2011 The First Man Writing Writer 59
Average
2006 The Missing Star Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2006 The Missing Star Writing Story 59
Average
1998 The Way We Laughed Writing Writer 59
Average
1994 Lamerica Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1994 Lamerica Writing Story 60
Fair
1990 Open Doors Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1989 Via Panisperna Boys Writing Writer 59
Average
1982 Blow to the Heart Writing Story 59
Average
1979 The Little Archimedes Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1978 Death at Work Writing Writer N/A
N/A