GAGLIANONE, DANIELE

(1966-)

Screenwriter and director. A very distinctive presence in the most recent generation of Italian directors, Gaglianone began working at the Archivio Nazionale Cinematografico della Resistenza (National Film Archive of the Resistance) in 1991, where he produced a number of documentaries on historical topics. At the same time he began making videos and award-winning short films, often addressing social problems in a very personal key. After collaborating as cowriter and assistant director onGianni Amelio'sCost ridevano(The Way We Laughed, 1998), he directed his first feature,I nostri anni(The Years of Our Lives, 2000), a powerful exploration of theResistanceand its long personal legacy for the people who lived through it. The film received strong acclaim at Cannes in 2001, and in Italy was nominated for aNastro d'argento. After several more interesting documentaries, includingStorie di calcio:Le domeniche del signor Mantaut(Football Stories:Mr.Mantaut's Sundays, 2003), the portrait of an elderly blind man who insists on going to "watch" his favorite soccer team play every Sunday, Gaglianone directed his similarly much-acclaimed second feature,Nemmeno il destino(Changing Destiny, 2004), a harsh but moving coming-of-age narrative, adapted from an autobiographical novel by Gianfranco Bettin.