Giovanni Maderna

Giovanni Maderna

director, writer, producer

Giovanni Maderna was born on Oct 02, 1973 in Italy. Giovanni Maderna's big-screen debut came with Carmela, Saved by the Buccaneers directed by Giovanni Maderna in 2012.

He interrupts his studies in Literature to move to Lyon where in 1995 he buys a 16mm movie camera and directs the short La Place, dedicated to the square in which he lives, and its regular dwellers. The film receives the "Sacher d'oro" prize at the Nanni Moretti's Festival. After a period of few months at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Roma, a new short: Jahilia (Occidente), the story of a Maghrebin immigrant on the hills of the Oltrepò pavese inspired by the characters and situations in a novel by Flannery O'Connor. In 1997 he takes part in the collective film Com'è bella la città, coordinated by Goffredo Fofi. In 1998, he makes Dolce Stil Novo, story of adolescents living in the suburbs of Milan traced on a novel by Checov; presented at the Locarno Film Festival, Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (Rome 1999), and winner of numerous international awards.With Questo è il giardino, written with Carolina Freschi, the film's main actress, he makes his debut in feature film. The film tells the story of two young Conservatoire musicians and is subdivided into four phases (falling in love, passion, separation e reunion), with reference to the four gardens in the Bible (Genesis, Canticle of Canticles, Gospel and Apocalipse). Best First Film Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1999. In 2001, he makes L'amore imperfetto, a film in competition in Venice, inspired by true facts and tells the story of the parents of a child who suffers from a severe deformity. Bologna, 16-2-05, Giovanni Maderna and Antonio Moresco meet Alberto Grifi, it is a documentary-interview dedicated to the works of the great Italian experimental filmmaker.With his films Schopenhauer (2006, in competition at Locarno Film Festival) and four years later Heaven without Earth ("Cielo senza terra" 2010, Festival di Venezia in Competition at Venice Days), co-directed with Sara Pozzoli, he started a season in quest of a deep renovation of cinematographic language, striving to merge very different and apparently inconsistent influences. It is an attempt to drive filmmaking to a clear simplicity, releasing it from both contemporary realism and patronising author's approach. He overtly quotes as source of inspiration directors Robert Bresson, Alberto Grifi and Otar Iosseliani, but also hollywood helmers Leo McCarey and Preston Sturges.He founded the production company Quarto Film and since 2007 worked with authors such as Francesco Gatti, Dario Buccino, Filippo Ticozzi, Sara Pozzoli, Mauro Santini, Tonino De Bernardi and Giovanni Cioni.In 2012 he curated the independent section at Venice Film Festival "Cinema Corsaro", a selection of works marked by an unconventional and experimental approach to both production and direction. In this occasion he presented his new film Carmela, saved by Buccaneers, co-directed with Mauro Santini and part of a series of experimental films loosely based on Emilio Salgari's "Yolanda, la figlia del Corsaro Nero".Look Love Lost (2012) is a film made with private footage recorded over a few years and edited in a single session on Christmas Day 2011.

  • Birthday

    Oct 02, 1973
  • Place of Birth

    Milan, Italy

Awards

2 wins & 2 nominations

Venice Film Festival
1999
Best Debut Film
Winner - Luigi De Laurentiis Award
Questo è il giardino (1999)
1999
Questo è il giardino (1999)
Winner - Luigi De Laurentiis Award
Questo è il giardino (1999)

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies