Paolo Sorrentino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paolo Sorrentino
Sorrentino at the 2018 Venice Film Festival
Born	(1970-05-31) 31 May 1970 (age 55) Naples, Campania, Italy
Alma mater	University of Naples Federico II
Occupation	Film director screenwriter
Years active	1994–present
Notable work	Il Divo (2009) The Great Beauty (2013) The Hand of God (2021)
Awards	Full list

Paolo Sorrentino (born 31 May 1970) is a famous Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. He is known for making movies that look amazing and tell deep stories. Many people compare his style to other great Italian directors like Federico Fellini.

Paolo Sorrentino has won many important awards for his films. These include an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a BAFTA Award, and prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. In Italy, he has won many David di Donatello and Nastro d'Argento awards.

His first movie as a director was One Man Up (2001). Later, he made The Consequences of Love (2004) and This Must Be the Place (2011). His film Il Divo (2009), which is about a real Italian politician, won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

One of his most famous films is The Great Beauty (2013). This movie won the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He also directed Youth (2015) and The Hand of God (2021), which was nominated for an Oscar. Besides movies, he also created and directed the TV series The Young Pope (2016) and The New Pope (2019) for HBO.

Early Life

Paolo Sorrentino was born in Naples, Italy, in 1970. When he was 16 years old, he sadly lost both of his parents.

Career Highlights

Early Films and Recognition (1998–2012)

Sorrentino started his film career as a screenwriter. His first movie as a writer, The Dust of Naples, came out in 1998. He also directed short films like L'amore non ha confini.

His first full-length movie as a director was One Man Up. For this film, he won the Nastro D'Argento prize for Best New Director.

In 2004, he became known around the world for his thriller The Consequences of Love. This movie is about a lonely businessman who gets caught up with a powerful criminal group. The film won many awards and was nominated for the top prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

His next film, The Family Friend (2006), was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of an old man who lends money and becomes interested in one of his customer's daughters. In the same year, Sorrentino also had a small acting role in the film The Caiman.

Il Divo and This Must Be the Place

Sorrentino's film Il Divo (2008) is a drama about Giulio Andreotti, a well-known Italian politician. This movie won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. In this film, Sorrentino worked again with actor Toni Servillo, who played the main character.

In 2011, Sorrentino made his first English-language film called This Must Be the Place. The movie stars Sean Penn as a retired rock star who goes on a journey to find someone from his father's past. This film was shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Major Success and Acclaim (2013–Present)

His 2013 film The Great Beauty was a huge success. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2014 Oscars. Critics praised the film for its beautiful look and how it showed the city of Rome. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film also received many awards at the 26th European Film Awards, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" for Sorrentino.

Youth and The Hand of God

After The Great Beauty, Sorrentino directed Youth (2015). This was his second English-language film and starred famous actors like Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, and Jane Fonda. The film explored important questions about life and aging. It was also shown at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Sorrentino's 2021 film, The Hand of God, was filmed in Naples, his hometown. This movie is very personal and tells a story based on his own life as a young person. Sorrentino said that "almost everything is true" in the film. It was chosen to represent Italy at the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

Upcoming Projects

In the future, Sorrentino is set to direct a movie called Sue, starring Jennifer Lawrence. This film will tell the life story of a famous Hollywood agent named Sue Mengers. He is also directing another film called Parthenope, which is described as a "love letter to Naples" and will star Gary Oldman.

Personal Life

Paolo Sorrentino received an honorary degree from the American University of Rome in 2015.

Filmography

Sorrentino in 2008

Film

Feature films

Short films and documentaries

Acting roles

Television

TV series

Other TV work

Awards and Honors

See also

In Spanish: Paolo Sorrentino para niños