Giuseppe Tornatore is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He was born in Bagheria, Sicily on May 27th, 1956. He studied film directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome and graduated in 1982.
Tornatore's first feature film was The Gold of Naples (1984), which won him the Silver Ribbon for Best New Director. His next film, Cinema Paradiso (1988), won him the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. The film also earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tornatore's other notable films include Malèna (2000), The Unknown Woman (2006), Baarìa (2009) and The Best Offer (2013). He has also directed several documentaries, including My Sicily (2003) and Sicilian Ghost Story (2017).
In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Tornatore is also an accomplished photographer. His photographs have been featured in numerous exhibitions around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. His photographs often focus on his native Sicily and its people, landscapes, and culture.