Matteo Garrone

Matteo Garrone is an Italian filmmaker renowned for his uncompromising vision and gritty realism, born on 15 October 1968 in Rome, Italy to theatre critic Nico Garrone and photographer Donatella Rimoldi. Growing up in a culturally rich household, he developed an early fascination with visual storytelling, eventually channeling that passion into short films that would lay the groundwork for his distinctive cinematic voice. His breakthrough came in 1996 when he won the Sacher d'Oro, an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, for the short film Silhouette, a work later incorporated into his debut feature Terra di Mezzo (1997). From there, Garrone’s career accelerated, producing a series of acclaimed films that blend stark social commentary with masterful narrative technique. Gomorrah (2008) earned him both the European Film Award for Best Director and the David di Donatello for Best Director, cementing his reputation as a leading figure in contemporary Italian cinema. Subsequent works such as Reality (2012), which claimed the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Tale of Tales (2015) and Dogman (2018), both contenders for the Palme d'Or, demonstrated his versatility, ranging from harrowing crime dramas to fantastical literary adaptations. In 2019, Garrone was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reflecting his international stature. His most recent projects, including the celebrated Pinocchio (2019) and the 2023 film Io capitano, which garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film, continue to explore complex characters and societal undercurrents, while his recurring collaborations with a loyal troupe of actors and crew underline a deeply collaborative creative process. Garrone’s oeuvre is marked by a relentless pursuit of authenticity, a bold aesthetic, and an enduring commitment to illuminating the darker facets of human experience through cinema.