Alice Rohrwacher (born December 29, 1981) is an Italian filmmaker, editor and writer, who made her directorial debut with Heavenly Body (2011).
She has directed several notable films, such as The Wonders (2014), Happy as Lazzaro (2018), which received the Cannes Film Fest Best Screenplay, and La chimera (2023).
Her short “Le pupille” (2022) was nominated for Best Live Action Short Oscar Film.
Rohrwacher was born in Fiesole, Tuscany, to an Italian mother and German father. She spent her youth in the village of Castel Giorgio, Umbria, where her mother was born and her father Reinhard worked as a beekeeper. She is the sister of the Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher.
She studied Classics at the University of Turin, then specialized in screenwriting at the Holden School in Turin.
Her first experience in filmmaking was in 2006, when directing a part of the Italian documentary Checosamanca.
In 2011, she directed her first feature, Heavenly Body, which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight of the 2011 Cannes Film Fest to critical acclaim.
Her second feature, The Wonders, won the Grand Prix at the 2014 Cannes Film Fest.
Also in 2014, Rohrwacher was appointed President of the International Jury for the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for Debut Film.
Her third film, Lazzaro Felice, in 2017 starred Sergi López and Rohrwacher’s sister Alba Rohrwacher. The film premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Fest where it won Best Screenplay.
It was released by Netflix in December of that year.
Rohrwacher was invited to serve on the jury for the 2019 Cannes Film Fest
She was nominated alongside Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron for Le pupille (2022) for the Best Live Action Short Film, losing to “An Irish Goodbye.”
My Oscar Book:
Her latest, La chimera (2023), starring Josh O’Connor and Isabella Rossellini, premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Fest, where it competed for the Palme d’Or.
Stylistically, her work blends conventions of magical realism and neorealism, often centering on simple and innocent characters butting up against impersonal, corrupt, and bureaucratic system.
Favorite films
In 2022, Rohrwacher listed her 10 favorite films in Sight & Sound poll.
Strike (1925)
Miracle in Milan (1951)
Vagabond (1985)
La Terra vista dalla Luna (1967)
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
Getting to Know the Big, Wide World (1980)
The Color of Pomegranates (1969)
Tale of Tales (1979)
The Blue Planet (1981)
Le Havre (2011)
As filmmaker
| Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Checosamanca | Yes | No | Documentary film |
| 2011 | Heavenly Body | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| 2014 | The Womnders | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| 2014 | 9×10 novanta | Yes | Yes | Documentary film (segment: “Una canzone”) |
| 2015 | De Djess | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2018 | Happy as Lazzaro | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| 2021 | Futura | Yes | No | Documentary film |
| 2022 | “Le Pupille” | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2023 | La Chimera | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
