Paolo Taviani was an award-winning Italian film director whose work with his brother, Vittorio Taviani, included “Caesar Must Die,” “Padre Padrone,” “Leonora addio,” and “The Night of the Shooting Stars.”
- Died: February 29, 2024 (Who else died on February 29?)
- Details of death: Died in Rome at the age of 92.
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Paolo Taviani’s legacy
Taviani made his name as an artist alongside his brother, Vittorio. Born in Tuscany, Italy, the pair began their career in journalism and cut their cinematic teeth in documentary work. After working on two films with Italian director Valentino Orsini, they ventured off on their own in the 1960s, launching a career defined by politically charged, confrontational cinema.
Taviani and his brother rose to prominence in the 1970s on the strength of such films as 1971’s “San Michele aveva un gallo,” an adaptation of “The Divine and the Human” by Leo Tolstoy, and the Palme d’Or-winning 1977 film “Padre Padrone.” In 2008, the movie was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage list of 100 Italian films to be saved. The pair continued to win acclaim throughout their career, winning the Golden Bear in 2012 at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival for “Caesar Must Die.”
When Vittorio passed away in 2018, Taviani made one last film, his first and only without his brother: 2022’s “Leonora addio.” It earned the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. Other notable works include “The Night of the Shooting Stars” (La notte di San Lorenzo), which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1982.
Tributes to Paolo Taviani
Full obituary: The Washington Post
