Born on May 27, 1956 in Bagheria near Palermo, Giuseppe Tornatore is a multiple award-winning Italian director and screenwriter. Considered as one of the directors to bring back critical acclaim Italian films once had, the director has had a career stretching over 30 years writing scripts and directing films. From the early age of 16, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre. Initially, he worked as a freelance photographer, eventually switching to cinema with his debut film "Le minoranze etniche in Sicilia", a documentary film for which he won a Salerno Festival prize. After that, he worked for RAI, Italy's national public broadcasting company, before launching his first full-length film in 1985 titled "Il Camorrista", which is a drama about a journalist who runs into conflict with gangsters. This movie received critical acclamation and positive response from the audience as a result; Tornatore received the "Silver Ribbon" for Best New Director. 

In 1988, "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" was released, which is considered as Toratore's best known screen work and achieved worldwide success, winning an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film narrates the life of a successful film director who goes back to his hometown in Sicily to attend the funeral of his mentor. Toratore released several other movies subsequently. 

He also won the Silver George for Best Director in 2007 for "The Unknown Woman" at the 29th Moscow international Film Festival. In 1993, he became a member of the Jury for Venice Film Festival. Alongside directing films, he has also composed a song titled "Ricordare" for his film "Una Pura Formalità".

NOTABLE WORKS:

1985 Il Camorrista

1988 Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

1990 Stanno Tutti Bene

1994 Una Pura Formalità

1995 L'uomo Delle Stelle

1999 The Legend of 1900

2000 Malèna

2006 The Unknown Woman

AWARDS:

1990 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

2007 Silver George for Best Director, Mosow International Film Festival