Born in Florence, Italy, in 1939, Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s most prominent filmmakers, whose career has spanned both the 20th and 21st centuries. His debut feature Fists In the Pocket (1965) was screened at the Locarno Film Festival, marking his emergence on the international film scene. With his second feature China Is Near (1967), directed in his twenties, he won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and quickly rose to prominence as a new talent. Since then, through works such as Slap the Monster on Page One (1972), The Eyes, the Mouth (1982), and Good Morning, Night (2003), Bellocchio has built a distinct cinematic universe that incisively examines political realities and the human psyche. In particular, Good Morning, Night offered a bold reinterpretation of the Aldo Moro kidnapping, earning him wide critical acclaim. In 2011, he received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, solidifying his status as a master. To mark the 50th anniversary of his filmmaking career, major retrospectives were organized around the world, including at MoMA in New York, the La Rochelle Film Festival, and the BFI in London. His profound influence on cinema was further recognized at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021, where he was awarded the Honorary Palme d’Or. Continuing to work actively in recent years, Bellocchio has released the series Exterior Night (2022) and the features Kidnapped (2023) and If I May (2024), all of which reflect his sharp engagement with contemporary Italian society and history. Relentless in his exploration of both his era and the human condition, Marco Bellocchio stands as one of the greatest living masters of world cinema.
