Biography
Donato Rotunno, who graduated from the Louvain-la-Neuve Institute of Broadcasting Arts (IAD) in 1992, cofounded the production company Tarantula Luxembourg in 1995, and its sister company Tarantula Belgium in 1996.
Tarantula Distribution was set up in 2011. In 2013, he teamed up with other Luxembourg producers to oversee the Filmland Studios in Kehlen, Luxembourg. EAVE graduate, Member of the European Film Academy, he is also President of the ULPA (Luxembourg Union of Audiovisual Producers) since March 2023.
« A piece of sky », by Bénédicte Liénard, which was screened in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard) was his first feature film in his career. Since then, he has produced and co-produced over 50 feature films, which regularly feature at A Festivals, such as « Private Property » by Joachim Lafosse, « A Wedding » by Stéphane Streker, « Fire Will Come » by Oliver Laxe, « Two of us » by Filippo Meneghetti, « Blanquita » by Fernando Guzzoni or « Holly » by Fien Troch.
At the same time, Donato Rotunno is pursuing a career as a documentary and fiction film director. His career as a director began with his graduation short film, « Nebbiolo Rosso », which won the best short film award at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur. He directed documentaries on topics that challenge Luxembourg society, such as immigration, the role of politics in society, and brought hybrid works to life that blends the world of contemporary art.
His first feature film, « In a Dark Place », won the best artistic contribution award at the Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis in 2007. His second film, « Baby(a)lone », an adaptation of the novel "Amok" by Luxembourg writer Tullio Forgiarini, was selected for numerous international festivals and represented Luxembourg at the 88th Academy Awards in the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category. His third film, « Io sto bene », starring Marie Jung, Renato Carpentieri and Sara Serraiocco, enjoyed a worldwide success and represented Luxembourg at the 94th Academy Awards.
