Born in 1953, Giovanni Moretti, known in cinema as Nanni Moretti, is one
of the most important and awarded contemporary Italian directors. He began his
directing career at the age of 20, with two short films, and three years later
he directed his first feature, I Am Self
Sufficient. He took on the role of actor right from his first films, a
habit he kept throughout his entire career, with a few exceptions.
An author with a very particular comedy style, Moretti does not avoid controversial topics, such as the Vatican, in Habemus Papam, or the Italian government, represented by Silvio Berlusconi, in The Caiman. Off-screen, Moretti makes his voice heard often, with criticisms, in a distinctly left-wing stance, and he has even organized demonstrations against Berlusconi’s government, back in 2002.
Frequent presence at the most important film festivals, his list of awards is long, and its highlights include a Palm d’Or for The Son’s Room (2001) and the award for Best Director for Dear Diary, in Cannes; the Silver Bear in Berlin for The Mass is Ended (1985) and Special Jury Award in Venice for Golden Dreams (1981). His latest film, Mia Madre (2015) won the Prize of the ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Festival.