Giuseppe Tornatore
Giuseppe Tornatore came to international prominence with his second film, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso). Set in his childhood home of Sicily, the film captures the innocence and influence of movies on the life of a young boy. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Tornatore came to film directing from significant careers, first as a still photographer, and then director of documentaries for Italy’s RAI television network. His other films include Il Camorrista (The Gangster, 1985), Everybody’s Fine (1991), Especially on Sunday (1993), A Pure Formality (1995), The Star Maker (1995), The Legend of 1900 (1998), Malèna (2000), La Sconosciuta (The Unknown Woman, 2006), and the upcoming Leningrad (2008).
