Paolo Sorrentino

Born on 31 May 1970 in Naples, Italy, Paolo Sorrentino is a highly esteemed Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Italian cinema working today known for visually striking and complex dramas. Sorrentino has often been compared to Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, two of the greatest names in Italian cinema. His numerous accolades include an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, two Cannes Film Festival prizes, four Venice Film Festival Awards, and four European Film Awards, making him a highly decorated figure in the film industry. In Italy, he was honoured with eight David di Donatello and six Nastro d'Argento awards. Sorrentino's body of work is diverse, ranging from his directorial film debut with the Italian comedy-drama One Man Up (2001) to the art drama, The Great Beauty (2013), which won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He also created and directed the HBO drama series The Young Pope (2016), and The New Pope (2019).

Sorrentino’s early life was marked by tragedy as he was orphaned at the age of 16 after losing both of his parents to an accidental carbon monoxide leak. His career kicked off with his work as a screenwriter, beginning with The Dust of Naples in 1998. He then shifted towards directing short and feature-length films. His breakthrough came in 2004 with his acclaimed thriller The Consequences of Love, which explores the mindset of a lonely businessman being used as a pawn by the Mafia. His other notable works include Il Divo (2008), a biopic of the controversial Italian politician Giulio Andreotti, and his English-language feature debut, This Must Be the Place (2011). His 2013 film The Great Beauty won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2014 Academy Awards. His film, The Hand of God (2021), contains autobiographical elements that offer insights into Sorrentino's own experiences and is considered his most personal film to date.