Paolo Sorrentino

Directing

Paolo Sorrentino

Born 1970-05-31 · Naples, Campania, Italy

Paolo Sorrentino (Italian: [ˈpaːolo sorrenˈtiːno]; born 31 May 1970; Naples) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Italian cinema working today. He is known for visually striking and complex dramas and has often been compared to Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award two Cannes Film Festival prizes, four Venice Film Festival Awards and four European Film Awards. In Italy he was honoured with eight David di Donatello and six Nastro d'Argento. Sorrentino made his directorial film debut with the Italian comedy-drama One Man Up (2001) for which he received the Nastro d'Argento for Best New Director followed by The Consequences of Love (2004), The Family Friend (2006), and This Must Be the Place (2011). The biographical drama Il Divo (2009) was awarded the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize. He received critical acclaim with the art drama The Great Beauty (2013) which won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He followed with Youth (2015), Loro (2018), and The Hand of God (2021) the latter of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. He is also known for his work on television creating and directing the HBO drama series The Young Pope (2016), and The New Pope (2019). He worked with songwriters Antonello Venditti, Paloma Faith and Mark Kozelek and written three books published in Italian. He works with authors and producers including Francesca Cima and Nicola Giuliano, Toni Servillo and Luca Bigazzi. Actors in his films have included Sabrina Ferilli, Michael Caine, Fanny Ardant, Harvey Keitel, Isabella Ferrari, Elena Sofia Ricci, Sean Penn, Riccardo Scamarcio, Jude Law, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Nanni Moretti, Filippo Scotti, Carlo Verdone, Antonio Albanese, Frank Langella and Jane Fonda.

Acting credits

The Great Beauty poster
7.5

Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

The Great Beauty

2013

Cinque mondi poster
6.5

Roberto Benigni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gabriele Salvatores, Paolo Sorrentino and Giuseppe Tornatore talk about their idea of cinema.

Cinque mondi

2016

We Are Cinema poster
9.5

An Italian documentary about Italian cinema.

We Are Cinema

2021

Room 999 poster
5.8

In 1982, Wim Wenders asked 16 of his fellow directors to speak on the future of cinema, resulting in the film Room 666. Now, 40 years later, in Cannes, director Lubna Playoust asks Wim Wenders himself and a new generation of filmmakers (James Gray, Rebecca Zlotowski, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Nadav Lapid, Asghar Farhadi, Alice Rohrwacher and more) the same question: “is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?”

Room 999

2023

Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me poster
7.7

The life of a dying young man at the short age of only forty-one after playing the lead in Il postino. He was a brilliant stage actor before becoming an astonishing film director.

Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me

2023

Three Touches poster
4.3

Several actors are members of a amateur soccer team. They followed in their preparations for a particular audition and in their personal life. With about 6 actors this delivers a broad picture of Italian life in which the question what it means to be a man is posed in the challenging circumstances of familily life, sex relationships, sport, cross gender roles and mafia.

Three Touches

2014

MCAINE: An Anagram of Cinema poster
7.0

Legendary British actor Michael Caine, who began his brilliant career on stage during the 1950s, talks about his private life, his work in film and the books he has written.

MCAINE: An Anagram of Cinema

2023

Il teatro di Mattia Torre : Backstage poster
NR

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Mattia Torre’s plays adapted for television, under the artistic direction and direction of Paolo Sorrentino.

Il teatro di Mattia Torre : Backstage

2022

A Matter of Heart poster
6.0

Garage owner Angelo and big-time film producer Alberto find themselves occupying neighbouring beds in a Rome hospital after suffering heart attacks. Alberto is a gregarious joker - and chain smoker - who has a strong effect on the impressionable Angelo. However, as one of the men's condition deteriorates, the other becomes more deeply involved in his personal life.

A Matter of Heart

2009

What Do You Know About Me poster
7.0

Until the 1970s, Italian cinema dominated the international scene, even competing with Hollywood. Then, in just a few years, came its rapid decline, the flight of our greatest producers, a crisis among the best writer-directors, the collapse of production. But what are the true causes and circumstances of this decline? In an attempt to provide an answer to this question, Di Me Cosa Ne Sai strives to depict this great cultural change. Begun as a loving examination of Italian cinema, the film transformed into a docu-drama that alternates between interviews with the great names of the past and fragments of cultural and political life of the last 30 years. It is a travel diary that shows Italy from north to south, through movie theatres; television-addicted kids; Berlusconi and Fellini; shopping centers; TV news editors; stories of impassioned film exhibitors and directors who fight for their films; and interviews with itinerant projectionists and great European directors.

What Do You Know About Me

2009

The Caiman poster
6.7

Bruno Bonomo was a famous producer of B-movies in the ‘70s. After a long hiatus, Bonomo offers a screenplay to RAI centered on the figure of Italy’s prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, a subject so controversial that even the public television broadcaster refuses to produce it

The Caiman

2006

I nostri trent'anni - Generazioni a confronto poster
NR

Various generations of filmmakers talk about what cinema means for them.

I nostri trent'anni - Generazioni a confronto

2004

The Hand of God: Through the Eyes of Sorrentino poster
6.5

Director Paolo Sorrentino returns to Naples, his hometown, and reflects on his youth in an exclusive tour of the locations of “The Hand of God”.

The Hand of God: Through the Eyes of Sorrentino

2021

Tutte le storie di Piera poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tutte le storie di Piera

2014

Cercando La grande bellezza poster
7.7

Drama, documentary

Cercando La grande bellezza

2015

Behind the camera

Youth poster
6.9

Two lifelong friends bond whilst vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena, Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda. And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy, an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance?

Youth

2015

Youth poster
6.9

Two lifelong friends bond whilst vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena, Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda. And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy, an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance?

Youth

2015

The Great Beauty poster
7.5

Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

The Great Beauty

2013

The Great Beauty poster
7.5

Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

The Great Beauty

2013

Parthenope poster
6.7

Parthenope, born in the sea near Naples in 1950, is beautiful, enigmatic, and intelligent. She is shamelessly courted by many. However, beauty comes at a cost.

Parthenope

2024

Parthenope poster
6.7

Parthenope, born in the sea near Naples in 1950, is beautiful, enigmatic, and intelligent. She is shamelessly courted by many. However, beauty comes at a cost.

Parthenope

2024

Parthenope poster
6.7

Parthenope, born in the sea near Naples in 1950, is beautiful, enigmatic, and intelligent. She is shamelessly courted by many. However, beauty comes at a cost.

Parthenope

2024

This Must Be the Place poster
7.0

A bored, retired rock star living in Ireland sets out to find his dead father's tormentor, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.

This Must Be the Place

2011

This Must Be the Place poster
7.0

A bored, retired rock star living in Ireland sets out to find his dead father's tormentor, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.

This Must Be the Place

2011

La Grazia poster
7.3

As his tenure as President of Italy nears its end, Mariano De Santis faces wrenching decisions-both political and deeply personal. Amid these moral quandaries, he must confront his own conscience and seek guidance from those closest to him, including his confidante and daughter, Dorotea.

La Grazia

2025

La Grazia poster
7.3

As his tenure as President of Italy nears its end, Mariano De Santis faces wrenching decisions-both political and deeply personal. Amid these moral quandaries, he must confront his own conscience and seek guidance from those closest to him, including his confidante and daughter, Dorotea.

La Grazia

2025

La Grazia poster
7.3

As his tenure as President of Italy nears its end, Mariano De Santis faces wrenching decisions-both political and deeply personal. Amid these moral quandaries, he must confront his own conscience and seek guidance from those closest to him, including his confidante and daughter, Dorotea.

La Grazia

2025

The Hand of God poster
7.5

In 1980s Naples, an awkward teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

The Hand of God

2021

The Hand of God poster
7.5

In 1980s Naples, an awkward teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

The Hand of God

2021

The Hand of God poster
7.5

In 1980s Naples, an awkward teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

The Hand of God

2021

One Man Up poster
7.1

Two men, both named Antonio Pisapia, see their lives go downhill in 1980s Naples. One is a crooner embroiled in a sex scandal; the other is a football player whose career is cut short by an injury.

One Man Up

2001

One Man Up poster
7.1

Two men, both named Antonio Pisapia, see their lives go downhill in 1980s Naples. One is a crooner embroiled in a sex scandal; the other is a football player whose career is cut short by an injury.

One Man Up

2001

Loro poster
6.7

Internationally released Director's Cut of "Loro 1" and "Loro 2", which were released separately as two movies in Italy. The film talks about the group of businessmen and politicians – the Loro (Them) from the title – who live and act near to media tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi in the years between 2006 and 2009.

Loro

2018

Loro poster
6.7

Internationally released Director's Cut of "Loro 1" and "Loro 2", which were released separately as two movies in Italy. The film talks about the group of businessmen and politicians – the Loro (Them) from the title – who live and act near to media tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi in the years between 2006 and 2009.

Loro

2018

Rio, I Love You poster
4.8

The third episode of the Cities of Love franchise, Rio, I Love You is an anthology, created by 10 visionary directors from across the globe. The story line of each segment focuses on an encounter of love in a different neighborhood of the city, demonstrating the distinctive qualities and character of that location. The film serves to bridge gaps between cultures, educating and entertaining the audience, while celebrating unique and universal expressions of love.

Rio, I Love You

2014

Rio, I Love You poster
4.8

The third episode of the Cities of Love franchise, Rio, I Love You is an anthology, created by 10 visionary directors from across the globe. The story line of each segment focuses on an encounter of love in a different neighborhood of the city, demonstrating the distinctive qualities and character of that location. The film serves to bridge gaps between cultures, educating and entertaining the audience, while celebrating unique and universal expressions of love.

Rio, I Love You

2014

The Consequences of Love poster
7.5

Lugano, Switzerland. Titta Di Girolamo is a discreet and sullen man who has been living for almost a decade in a modest hotel room, a prisoner of an atrocious routine, apparently without purpose. His past is a mystery, nobody knows what he does for a living, he answers indiscreet questions evasively. What secrets does this enigmatic man hide?

The Consequences of Love

2004

The Consequences of Love poster
7.5

Lugano, Switzerland. Titta Di Girolamo is a discreet and sullen man who has been living for almost a decade in a modest hotel room, a prisoner of an atrocious routine, apparently without purpose. His past is a mystery, nobody knows what he does for a living, he answers indiscreet questions evasively. What secrets does this enigmatic man hide?

The Consequences of Love

2004

Il Divo poster
7.6

Italy, early '90s. Calm, clever and inscrutable, politician Giulio Andreotti has been synonymous with power for decades. He has survived everything: electoral battles, terrorist massacres, loss of friends, slanderous accusations; but now certain repentant mobsters implicate him in the crimes of Cosa Nostra.

Il Divo

2008