Nanni Moretti

An intensely private and independent individual, Italian auteur Nanni Moretti creates moving, incisive, and humorous portraits of life, filtered through a unique worldview. Born in 1953 in Brunico, Bolzano, Italy, Moretti began to develop his passions for filmmaking and water polo throughout his early schooling, also taking a marked interest in politics. Turning 20, Moretti sold the stamps that he had collected in his youth to purchase a Super-8 camera and began shooting films with friends, making his feature debut in 1977, with Io Sono un Autarochico (I Am Self-Sufficient). It was a fitting title, one that would set the gears of his documentary-style method in motion as it garnered a loyal cult following; the subsequent release of Ecce Bombo in 1978 (nominated for the Golden Palm at that year's Cannes Film Festival) cemented Moretti's reputation and became the young filmmaker's first nationwide success. Working in every aspect of the business from producer to actor, rarely speaking to journalists or appearing in public, Moretti has claimed that he is not a film director in the traditional sense, but a man who makes a film when he has something to say. In many ways the epitome of independent filmmaking, marked by the director's trenchant social commentary and telling performances, Moretti's films often reflect his fiercely independent and opinionated perspective, garnished with a dash of humor for impact. After years of worldwide acclaim, Moretti took home easily his most prestigious honor, the Golden Palm, at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival with the affecting and uncharacteristically somber family drama The Son's Room.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide