Biography

Giacomo Battiato (born 18 October 1943 in Verona) is an Italian film director and writer.One guide to Italian cinema says he:

...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 and married to Anna Zaneva since 1999, he began his career in 1973 on Italian RAI TV and ten years later started in cinema with I paladini. His first book, Fuori dal cielo (1996), won the Prize Domenico Rea. He directed two non-fiction films about Pope John Paul II: Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (Karol, un uomo diventato Papa) in 2005 and Karol: The Pope, The Man (Karol, un papa rimasto uomo) in 2006.

He has staged several operas, including Verdi's Simon Boccanegra in Stuttgart, Germany, and Mozart's Così fan tutte in Naples, Italy. He has also directed special programmes and documentaries, including: Expressionismus, which won the MIFED Gran Prix; a portrait of Pierre Boulez; a film on Italian Design for the Museum of Modern Art, New York. He won the Prix UNESCO at the International Festival of Art Film in Paris in 1993.

He has also directed award-winning commercials. Such prizes include the One Show Gold Award from the Art Directors Club of New York, the Andy Award of Excellence from the Advertising Club in New York, and the Lion d'Or at 20th Cannes International Advertising Film Festival. He has taught courses in film direction at the National School of Cinema in Rome.