Luca Guadagnino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luca Guadagnino
Guadagnino in 2024
Born	(1971-08-10) 10 August 1971 (age 53) Palermo, Italy
Alma mater	Sapienza University of Rome
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter
Years active	1997–present
Partner(s)	Ferdinando Cito Filomarino (2009–2020)

Luca Guadagnino (born 10 August 1971) is a famous Italian film director and producer. He is known for making movies that explore deep feelings and have beautiful visuals. His films have won many awards, including a Silver Lion, and he has been nominated for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards.

Luca Guadagnino was born in Palermo, Italy. His mother was from Algeria, and his father was from Sicily. He spent some of his childhood in Ethiopia. His family moved back to Italy in 1977 to escape the Ethiopian Civil War. He started his career by directing short films and documentaries. His first full-length movie was The Protagonists (1999). This film was the first of many times he worked with actress Tilda Swinton. His next film, Melissa P. (2005), was popular in Italy.

Guadagnino became even more well-known with his "Desire" film series. This series includes I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), and Call Me by Your Name (2017). Call Me by Your Name made him famous around the world. His film Suspiria (2018) was a remake of a 1977 horror movie. It was his first time directing a horror film. Later, he directed We Are Who We Are (2020), a TV series for HBO about growing up. He also made the romantic film Bones and All (2022), the sports film Challengers (2024), and the drama Queer (2024).

Guadagnino has also directed several documentaries. These include Bertolucci on Bertolucci (2013) and Salvatore: The Shoemaker of Dreams (2020). Besides making films, he has worked in the fashion world. He has directed advertisements for big brands like Fendi and Salvatore Ferragamo. In 2012, he started his own film company called Frenesy Film Company. He has also produced other films like Belluscone: A Sicilian Story (2014) and The Truffle Hunters (2020).

Early Life and Learning

Luca Guadagnino was born on August 10, 1971, in Palermo, Italy. His mother grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, and his father was from Canicattì, Sicily. Luca spent his early childhood in Ethiopia, where his father taught history. In 1977, his family moved back to Palermo, Italy, to escape the civil war happening in Ethiopia.

Luca became interested in filmmaking when he was about nine years old. He started making amateur films after his mother gave him a Super 8 camera. As a teenager, he became very passionate about movies. He would record films shown on TV and watch them. Some of the movies that inspired him early on were Psycho (1960), Suspiria (1977), and Starman (1984). He also really liked the films of Ingmar Bergman.

Guadagnino studied literature at the University of Palermo. He then moved to the Sapienza University of Rome. There, he finished his degree in literature and cinema history. He wrote his final paper about the American filmmaker Jonathan Demme. At Sapienza, he met actress Laura Betti. He often went to her parties and cooked for her guests, which included famous people like Bernardo Bertolucci. Guadagnino later said that these experiences were like his "film school."

Film Career

First Films (1999–2008)

Guadagnino directed his first full-length movie, The Protagonists (1999). This film was shown at the Venice Film Festival. It was also his first time working with actress Tilda Swinton and editor Walter Fasano. In 2002, he directed Mundo Civilizado, a musical documentary. His 2004 documentary, Cuoco Contadino, followed an Italian chef. His second full-length movie, the drama Melissa P., came out the next year and was very successful.

The "Desire Trilogy" and Other Works (2009–2017)

In 2009, Luca Guadagnino directed, wrote, and produced the popular film I Am Love. This was the first movie in what he calls his "Desire trilogy." Tilda Swinton helped produce and develop this film over seven years, and she also stars in it. The film was shown at many international festivals and was an instant hit with critics and audiences. In 2010, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.

Guadagnino and André Aciman at a screening of Call Me by Your Name in 2017.

In 2011, Guadagnino directed Inconscio Italiano, a documentary film. He also worked on the documentary Bertolucci on Bertolucci (2013). This film was made from old video clips and won many international awards.

Guadagnino also produced several other films. He was a producer for the short film Diarchia (2010), which won awards at film festivals. Two years later, he produced Edoardo Gabbriellini's film The Landlords. In 2015, Guadagnino produced Antonia, a movie about the Italian poet Antonia Pozzi.

In 2015, Guadagnino directed the second film in his Desire Trilogy, the thriller A Bigger Splash. It starred Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson. The film was shown for the first time at the 72nd Venice Film Festival.

Guadagnino's next film was Call Me by Your Name. It was based on a novel by André Aciman and starred Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The movie was filmed in Italy in 2016 and first shown at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was released in theaters in late 2017.

Becoming Internationally Known (2017–Present)

In September 2015, Guadagnino announced he would direct a remake of Dario Argento's horror film Suspiria. His version, Suspiria, was set in Berlin around 1977. Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson starred in the film. Suspiria was first shown at the 75th Venice Film Festival.

In January 2019, Guadagnino directed The Staggering Girl, a short film starring Julianne Moore and Mia Goth. The next year, he was an executive producer for The Truffle Hunters, a documentary. He also directed Salvatore Ferragamo: The Shoemaker of Dreams, a documentary about Salvatore Ferragamo.

He also wrote and directed We Are Who We Are, an 8-episode TV series for HBO. It premiered on September 14, 2020. In 2021, Guadagnino produced Beckett, directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino.

Guadagnino and the cast of Queer at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

On January 28, 2021, it was announced that Guadagnino would direct Bones and All. This film was based on a novel about young people on a journey. Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell starred in it. Bones and All premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2022. There, it won the Silver Lion for best direction. In 2023, he co-produced two Italian films, The Meatseller and Enea, and the short film Holiday.

On February 11, 2022, he agreed to direct the sports drama film Challengers. It starred Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist. The film was released on April 26, 2024, and was praised by critics. That same year, he produced Diciannove and April. Guadagnino's second film of 2024 was Queer, based on a novel by William S. Burroughs. Daniel Craig played the main role. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Guadagnino will direct the thriller After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts. Filming began on July 6, 2024. He will also produce Atropia, which finished filming in July 2023.

Future Projects

Guadagnino has several exciting projects planned. He is set to direct Separate Rooms, a film based on a 1989 novel. He is also in talks to direct a new version of the 1991 novel American Psycho. In early 2025, it was confirmed that Guadagnino will direct Artificial. This film is about the brief removal of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI. The film will start production in Italy in August 2025 and is planned for release in 2026. It will star Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, and Cooper Koch.

Other Activities

Guadagnino has been a judge at the Torino Film Festival twice. In 2010, he was a member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011, he was the president of the Beirut Film Festival.

Outside of film, he started working with the Italian fashion house Fendi in 2005. In 2012, he created Frenesy, a company that works with luxury brands. It creates fashion films, advertisements, and special events.

Guadagnino led the jury for Louis Vuitton's Journey Awards in 2012. This was a competition for young filmmakers. He was also a jury member at the first Fashion Film Festival Milano in 2014. In December 2011, he directed his first opera, Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, in Verona, Italy.

Luca Guadagnino will be the head of the jury for the upcoming Marrakech International Film Festival.

Influences and Style

Guadagnino once said that seeing the desert in the film Lawrence of Arabia when he was five years old was his "first impression of a screen." Even though he is influenced by Italian filmmakers like Bernardo Bertolucci and Federico Fellini, Guadagnino sees himself as an international filmmaker. He has even said he wishes to be seen as Algerian, like his mother. He explained, "I grew up in Ethiopia. I came to Italy when I was seven. In my mind, deep emotions and visual landscapes are from Ethiopia and not Palermo or any place in Italy. I arrived in Italy as an outsider." He also said that as a young person, he felt "isolated" and found comfort in cinema, especially horror movies. Other directors who influenced Guadagnino include Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Frequent Collaborators

Luca Guadagnino often works with the same group of actors and crew members. Actors who appear in his films often include Tilda Swinton, Fabrizia Sacchi, Alba Rohrwacher, Timothée Chalamet, Dakota Johnson, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Tilda Swinton has been in four of his films. Fabrizia Sacchi has been in three of his movies and other projects. Alba Rohrwacher has also appeared in his films. Timothée Chalamet starred in Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All.

Yorick Le Saux and Sayombhu Mukdeeprom are his most frequent cinematographers (the people who film the movie). Yorick Le Saux has worked on I Am Love and A Bigger Splash. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom filmed Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria.

Walter Fasano has been Guadagnino's main editor since 1997. Guadagnino also often works with producers Francesco Melzi d'Eril and Marco Morabito, and screenwriter David Kajganich.

Collaborator	Role	The Protagonists	Melissa P.	I Am Love	A Bigger Splash	Call Me By Your Name	Suspiria	We Are Who We Are	Bones and All	Challengers	Queer	After the Hunt	Total
Walter Fasano	Editor	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y						6
Marco Morabito	Producer			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y				6
Francesco Melzi d'Eril	Producer			Y		Y	Y	Y	Y				5
Giulia Piersanti	Costume designer				Y	Y	Y	Y	Y				5
Marco Costa	Editor							Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	5
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom	Cinematography					Y	Y			Y	Y		4
Tilda Swinton	Actress	Y		Y	Y		Y						4
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	Composers								Y	Y	Y	Y	4
Fabrizia Sacchi	Actress	Y	Y				Y						3
Yorick Le Saux	Cinematography			Y	Y			Y					3
David Kajganich	Screenwriter				Y		Y		Y				3
Lorenzo Mieli	Producer								Y	Y	Y		3
Chloë Sevigny	Actress							Y	Y			Y	3
Michael Stuhlbarg	Actor					Y			Y			Y	3
Jessica Harper	Actress						Y		Y				2
Barbara Alberti	Screenwriter		Y	Y									2
Jonathan Anderson	Costume designer									Y	Y		2
Justin Kuritzkes	Screenwriter									Y	Y		2
Alba Rohrwacher	Actress		Y	Y									2
Dakota Johnson	Actress				Y		Y						2
Elena Bucci	Actress				Y	Y							2
Timothée Chalamet	Actor					Y			Y				2

Personal Life

Luca Guadagnino used to live and work in a very old building in Crema, Italy. He moved out because he felt he didn't have enough privacy after his film Call Me By Your Name became very popular. As of 2024, he lives in Milan.

Filmography

Feature Film

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1999	The Protagonists	Yes	No	Yes
2005	Melissa P.	Yes	No	Yes
2009	I Am Love	Yes	Yes	Yes
2015	A Bigger Splash	Yes	Yes	No
2017	Call Me by Your Name	Yes	Yes	No
2018	Suspiria	Yes	Yes	No
2022	Bones and All	Yes	Yes	No
2024	Challengers	Yes	Yes	No
	Queer	Yes	Yes	No
2025	After the Hunt	Yes	Yes	No

Producer Only

• The Landlords (2012)
• Belluscone: A Sicilian Story (2014)
• Antonia (2015)
• Ombre dal fondo (2016)
• The Truffle Hunters (2020)
• Beckett (2021)
• Enea (2023)
• Holiday (2023)
• Diciannove (2024)
• April (2024)
• Atropia (2025)

Documentary Film

Documentary Short

• Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory (2002)
• Arto Lindsay Perdoa a Beleza (The Love Factory Series) (2004)

Short Film

Television

Music Videos

Lyricist

Advertising

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

• 

  Guadagnino in 2024

• 

  Guadagnino and André Aciman at a screening of Call Me by Your Name in 2017.

• 

  Guadagnino and the cast of Queer at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Luca Guadagnino para niños