Francesco Rosi (Nov 15, 1922–Jan 10, 2015) was a major Italian filmmaker, screenwriter and theatre director.
Rosi’s films of the 1960s and 1970s often had political messages, while later films were inspired by literature and became less political.
He continued to direct until 1997–his last film was an adaptation of Primo Levi’s book, The Truce.
His film The Mattei Affair won the Palme d’Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Fest.
In 1981, Rosi’s family drama, Three Brothers, played at the Cannes Film Fest and was later nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Thirteen of Rosi’s films were screened at the 2008 Berlin Film Fest, where he received the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement, accompanied by the screening of his 1962 masterpiece, Salvatore Giuliano.
In 2012 the Venice Biennale awarded Rosi the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
