VIRZI, PAOLO

(1964-)

Director and screenwriter. One of the most interesting young directors to emerge as part of theNew Italian Cinema, Virzi graduated from theCentro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, where he specialized in screenwriting. After collaborating on the screenplays ofGiuliano Montaldo'sTempo di uccidere(Time to Kill, 1989) andGabriele Salvatores'sTurne(Tour, 1990), he made his own directorial debut withLa bella vita(Living It Up, 1994), an ironic portrait of working-class life in provincial Italy that earned him both theDavid di Donatelloand theNastro d'argentofor Best New Director.His second feature,Ferie d'agosto(Summer Holidays, 1996), a caustic social comedy in the best tradition of thecommedia all'italiana, received similar acclaim and was awarded that year's David for Best Film. A year later the heartwarming working-class, coming-of-age taleOvosodo(Hardboiled Egg, 1997) was both a commercial and critical success and won the Special Grand Jury Prize at theVenice Festival. There followedBaci e abbracci(Kisses and Hugs, 1999), a quirky story revolving around the attempt by three retrenched workers to establish their own ostrich farm in Tuscany, andMy Name Is Tanino(2001), a bemused portrayal of the misadventures of a Sicilian boy attempting to follow his American dream. Virzi then scored his biggest national and international success withCaterina va in citta(Caterina in the Big City, 2003), a biting critique of contemporary Italian foibles carried out in the form of another coming-of-age movie. After also appearing in a small role inNanni Moretti'sIl caimano(The Caiman, 2006), Virzi directedN:Io e Napoleone(N.:Napoleon&Me, 2006), a historical costume drama that uses Napoleon's period of exile on the island of Elba as a way to reflect on contemporary Italian mores.