The Diary of Caiman

Nanni Moretti was born in 1953 in Bruneck in South Tyrol to a family of teachers. He made his first directorial attempt at the age of 20. His feature-length debut was the 1976 film I Am Self Sufficient. Five years later, his Golden Dreams won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. He quickly developed his own original style, which involves elements of left-leaning politics, an absurd sense of humor, and frequent recourse to autobiographical subjects. While developing his international career, he became friends with Krzysztof Kieślowski and was meant to play one of the roles in The Double Life of Veronique. These plans were thwarted, however, when Moretti was diagnosed with cancer. His fight against the disease is one of the central themes on his 1993 film Dear Diary, which captured the award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. Eight years later, Moretti was once again a winner in Cannes with The Son's Room. His great success has by no means put a stop to his career. The director of The Caiman is today a member of the so-called Cannes Family, and his work regularly appears in the Main Competition of the most prestigious film event of the world. This was also the case with his latest film, My Mother, which left Côte d'Azur with the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Not content to stay behind the camera, Moretti also acts in his films. He also appears from time to time in films made by his colleagues, including the Taviani brothers and Daniele Luchetti.