Giacomo Battiato

Giacomo Battiato is an Italian film director and writer.^[1] According to “The History Of The Italian Cinema”, published in 2009 in US and in England by Princeton University Press: “GIACOMO BATTIATO is one of the most erudite and flexible directors of his generation. A cultural organizer, he has also written novels interesting for both their calibre and writing style. He got his start as an excellent television director, an experience that allowed him to develop his talents though his varied experiences before he made his debut as a film director (…) Battiato is skilled at genre films and ably exploiting the technical aspects of filmmaking. Magic, visual wonderment and mythology are important elements in his films. His characters’ psychological profiles were convincing even within the context of his epic and action films (…)” Born in Verona, starting career in 1973 on Italian RAI TV and ten years later started in cinema with I paladini. His first book, Fuori dal cielo (1996) he won the Prize Domenico Rea. He directed two fiction dedicated at Pope John Paul II, Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (Karol, un uomo diventato Papa, 2005) and Karol: The Pope, The Man (Karol, un papa rimasto uomo, 2006)

Film

• Dentro la casa della vecchia signora TV-movie (1973)
• The Man From Marseille (1975), starring Marc Porel and Vittorio Mezzogiorno.

   -“Best Thriller” at the Cattolica Film Festival 
   -“Best Director” at the Chianciano Film Festival. 

• A Classy Crime TV-movie (1977)
• Il giorno dei cristalli TV-movie (1978)
• Martin Eden TV-movie (1979)from Jack London's novel, starring Christopher Connelly, Capucine and Vittorio Mezzogiorno
• Colomba TV-movie (1981) (TV) from Prosper Mérimée's novel, starring Anne Canovas and Alain Cuny.

   - “Flaiano Award as Best Screenplay”. 

• Hearts and Armour (1983) for Warner Bros
• Blood Ties (1986) (Showtime), starring Brad Davis, Vincent Spano and Michael Gazzo.

   - Best TV Movie at the 43rd Venice Film Festival.
   - Nominated for the Emmy Award for the best actor (Vincent Spano).

• Stradivari (1989) starring Anthony Quinn, Valerie Kaprinski and Stefania Sandrelli.
• Cellini- A Violent Life (1990)starring Wadeck Stanczak, Max Von Sydow, Ben Kingsley.

   - “Golden Ephebus Award”. 

• Diary of a rapist (1995) starring Roberto Zibetti and Isabella Ferrari. Officially invited at the Berlin, Moscow, Montreal and Stockholm International Film Festivals.
• The Octupus 8 (TV) (1997)

   - “Critics Award” and “Golden Nymph as the Best Fiction” at the Montecarlo TV International Festival. 

• The Octupus 9 (TV) (1998)
• The Young Casanova (TV) (2001) starring Stefano Accorsi, Thierry Lhermitte, Katja Flint, Barbara Schultz.

   - “Silver Fipa” at the Biarritz International Festival.

• Entrusted (TV) (2003)starring Klaus Maria Brandauer, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, and Thomas Sangster.

   -  “Best Actor”(to Thomas Sangster) at the Montecarlo Festival.

• Karol, A Man Who Became Pope (TV) (2005) starring Piotr Adamczyk, Malgosia Bela, Matt Craven, Michele Placido.

  - “Golden Ephebus Award”.

• Karol, The Pope, The Man (TV) (2006)
• Resolution 819 (2008) starring Benoît Magimel, Karolina Gruszka, Hippolyte Girardot.

  - “Golden Marcus Aurelius award for best film” at the Rome International Film Festival 2008.
  - “The European Prize” from the French Senate.
  - “The François Chalais Prize” as Best Film and Best Director.
  - “The Student's Choice Award" at the Amnesty International's Movies that Matter Festival at The Hague

• The Lying Game" (L'Infiltré) (2010) starring Jacques Gamblin, Mehdi Dehbi

   - Silver Fipa at the Biarritz Film Festival for Best Film
   - Golden Fipa at the Biarritz Film Festival for Best Actor Mehdi Dehbi

• Max and Hélène" (Max e Hélène) (2015) starring Alessandro Averone, Carolina Crescentini

Giacomo Battiato has made several cultural programmes and documentaries, among which:

- Expressionismus (MIFED Gran Prix) - The portrait of Pierre Boulez. - A film on Italian Design for the Museum of Modern Art, New York. - In 1993 he won the “Prix Unesco” at the International Festival of Art Film in Paris.

He has staged operas: Verdi's Simone Boccanegra in Stuttgart, Germany. Mozart's Così fan tutte in Naples, Italy.

He has also directed commercials... ... winning the “One Show Gold Award” by the Art Directors Club in New York, the “Andy Award of Excellence” by the Advertising Club in New York and the “Lion d'Or” at 20th Cannes' International Advertising Film Festival.

He has given courses in Film Directing at the National School of Cinema in Rome.

Publications: Giacomo Battiato has edited an Anthology of the European Poetry and Literature at the turn of the century, published by Mazzotta in Milan. His first novel Fuori dal cielo (Out of heaven) has won the “Rea” award and the “First Novel Award”. His second novel L’amore nel palmo della mano (Love in the palm of the hand) has been published by Mondadori in Italy and by Artist House in Japan. His new novel 39 Colpi di pugnale (39 strikes of a dagger) has been published in June 2010 by Gaffi.

References