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Nanni Moretti

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Nanni Moretti
Moretti at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Giovanni Moretti

(1953-08-19) 19 August 1953 (age 71)
Bruneck, South Tyrol, Italy
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1976–present

Giovanni "Nanni" Moretti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈnanni moˈretti]; born 19 August 1953) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

He is most known for his Palme d'Or winner film The Son's Room (2001) and his Special Jury Prize winner film Sweet Dreams (1981). He is also the recipient of three David di Donatello Award for Best Film, for: Caro diario in 1994, The Son's Room in 2001, and The Caiman in 2006.

Every film he has directed since Caro diario has been shown at main competition of the Cannes Film Festival, in 2012 he served as the jury president of the main competition.

Early life

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Moretti was born in Bruneck, Italy[1] to Roman parents who were both teachers. His father was the late epigraphist Luigi Moretti, a Greek teacher at Sapienza University of Rome. His brother is literary scholar Franco Moretti.[2][3]

Career

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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 (La sconfitta [it]).

In 1976, Nanni Moretti's first feature film Io sono un autarchico (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 won the Special Jury Prize 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.[4]

Having played waterpolo in the B division of the Italian championship, his experience later inspired his 1989 film Red Wood Pigeon ("palombella," which literally means "little pigeon," refers to a type of lob shot).

He may be best known for his films Caro diario (1993; followed in 1998 by a sequel, Aprile) and La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room, 2001), the latter of which won the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.[5]

The Caiman (2006) is in part about Berlusconi's controversies: in one of the three portraits of the Italian prime minister Moretti himself plays Berlusconi.[6] His 2011 film We Have a Pope screened In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, follows the conclave election of new Pope.[7]

His 2015 film Mia Madre was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.[8] His 2021 and 2023 films Three Floors and A Brighter Tomorrow were also selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 and 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

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, who appears in 5 films (including the role of protagonist in Il caimano) and Laura Morante, who was featured in Sogni d'oro, Bianca and The Son's Room. [citation needed]

Nanni Moretti in 2007

Personal life

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Even-tough his works have not been widely seen outside Europe, within his country Moretti is known as a maker of wryly humorous and eccentric films, usually starring himself.

Moretti says he is not religious. In his own 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".[9]

Moretti is also an famous outspoken political leftist in Italian politics. In 2002, he organized street protests against the government of Silvio Berlusconi. Besides his own documentary film The Thing (La cosa), which follows the first meeting of Italian leftists militants after the Italian Communist Party's dissolution proposal in 1989.

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.[10] The short film, Il Giorno della prima di Close Up (Opening Day of Close-Up, 1996), shows Moretti at his theatre attempting to encourage patrons to attend the opening day of Abbas Kiarostami's film, Close Up.

In April 2025, Moretti was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack.[11]

Filmography

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Feature films

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Year English Title Original Title Notes
1976 I Am Self Sufficient Io sono un autarchico
1977 Un autarchico a palazzo TV movie
1978 Ecce bombo
1981 Sweet Dreams Sogni d'oro Special Jury Prize at the 38th Venice International Film Festival
1984 Sweet Body of Bianca Bianca
1985 The Mass Is Ended La messa è finita Special Jury Prize at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival
1989 Red Wood Pigeon Palombella Rossa
1993 Caro diario Best Director at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
1998 April Aprile
2001 The Son's Room La stanza del figlio Palme d'Or winner
2006 The Caiman Il caimano
2011 We Have a Pope Habemus Papam
2015 Mia Madre
2021 Three Floors Tre piani
2023 A Brighter Tomorrow Il sol dell'avvenire
TBA It Will Happen Tonight Succederà questa notte In production[12]

Short films

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  • La sconfitta (1973 short)
  • Pâté de bourgeois (1973 short)
  • The Only Country In The World (L'unico paese al mondo, 1994 short)
  • Opening Day of Close-Up (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)
  • 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

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

Actor only

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Awards

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  • Guild of German Art House Cinemas
  • Ciak d'oro Awards
    • Best Director 1986: The Mass Is Ended
    • Best Screenplay 1986: The Mass Is Ended
    • Best Director 1990: Red Wood Pigeon
    • Best Film 1994: Caro diario
    • Best Director 1994: Caro diario
    • Best Screenplay 1994: Caro diario
    • Best Film 2001: The Son's Room
    • 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

References

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  1. ^ Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007). 501 Movie Directors. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 548. ISBN 9781844035731. OCLC 1347156402.
  2. ^ Giampiero Mughini, «Moretti, il poeta organizzatore», Corriere della Sera, 21 November 2007
  3. ^ Valerie Sanders, The Bourgeois: Between History and Literature by Franco Moretti, Times Higher Education, 27 June 2013
  4. ^ "Berlinale: 1986 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Son's Room". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Nanni Moretti profile". The Guardian. London, UK. 17 November 2001. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  8. ^ "2015 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  9. ^ 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"
  10. ^ "la Repubblica/cinema: Sacher: l'impero di Moretti dedicato a una torta". www.repubblica.it. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Italian director Moretti leaves hospital after heart attack". France 24. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  12. ^ Roxborough, Scott (17 June 2025). "Nanni Moretti Teaming With Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca on New Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 August 2025.

Further reading

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