Alice Rohrwacher

Alice Rohrwacher is a renowned Italian film director, editor, and screenwriter. Born on 29th December 1981, she rose to prominence in the filmmaking industry with her debut directorial Heavenly Body in 2011. Over her illustrious career, she has directed acclaimed films such as The Wonders in 2014, which won the Grand Prix, Happy as Lazzaro in 2018, recipient of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay, and La chimera in 2023. Her short film Le pupille in 2022 received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Growing up, Rohrwacher spent her early life in the village of Castel Giorgio, Umbria, where her Italian mother and German father raised her along with her sister, an Italian actress, Alba Rohrwacher. Rohrwacher began her early education with a focus on classical studies from the University of Turin before moving on to specialized screenwriting at the Holden School in Turin. She gained her first filmmaking experience in 2006 directing a part of the Italian documentary Checosamanca. Her journey continued, garnering critical acclaim when she directed Heavenly Body, which premiered at the Directors' Fortnight at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In 2014, her film The Wonders won the Grand Prix. Towards the end of 2018, Netflix released her award-winning film Lazzaro Felice. As of 2023, her latest film La chimera, featured Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini and competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Bong Joon-ho, talking about her work, described it as a 'mix of magical realism and neorealism, innocent characters butting up against corrupt behemoths'.