Biography
Gianni Amelio (born 20 January 1945 in Catanzaro) is an Italian film director. His 1998 film "The Way We Laughed" won the Golden Lion at the 55th Venice Film Festival.
Amelio was born in San Pietro di Magisano, in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria. His father emigrated to Argentina shortly after his birth. He was raised by his mother and grandmother, and the absence of a father figure became a recurring theme in his work. While studying philosophy at university in Messina, Amelio developed an interest in cinema and wrote film criticism for a local magazine. In 1965, he moved to Rome and worked as a camera operator and assistant director for filmmakers like Liliana Cavani and Vittorio De Seta. He also directed documentaries and commercials for television.
His first significant work was the TV film "Sun City" (1973) for RAI, inspired by the writings of Tommaso Campanella. This was followed by the documentary "The Cinema According to Bertolucci" (1976), about the making of "1900," and the thriller "Special Effects" (1978). In 1980, he directed the mystery "Death at Work," which won awards at the Locarno and Hyères festivals. "The Little Archimedes" (1979) also received critical acclaim. Amelio made his cinema debut with "Blow to the Heart" (1982), a film about Italian terrorism, which was screened at the Venice Film Festival. In 1987, he released "Via Panisperna Boys," depicting the lives of Italian physicists such as Enrico Fermi and Edoardo Amaldi, earning best screenplay honors at the Bari Film Festival. "Open Doors" (1989), starring Gian Maria Volonté, solidified Amelio’s reputation as a leading Italian director and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1991 Academy Awards. It also won four Felix Awards, two Silver Ribbons, four David di Donatello Awards, and three Golden Globes. His 1992 film "The Stolen Children" won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, along with two Silver Ribbons and five David di Donatello Awards. "Lamerica" (1994), which explores Albanian immigration to Italy, achieved similar success, winning two Silver Ribbons and three David di Donatello Awards. "The Way We Laughed" (1998) earned the Golden Lion at Venice. In 2004, Amelio received another Silver Ribbon for Best Director for "The Keys to the House," based on a novel by Giuseppe Pontiggia. He served on the Cannes Film Festival jury in 1995. His eighth feature film, "The Missing Star," starring Sergio Castellitto, was released in 2006. From 2009 to 2012, he was the director of the Torino Film Festival in Turin.
Amelio publicly came out as gay later in life, shortly before releasing his 2014 documentary "Happy to be Different.
51 wins and 36 nominations
