Paolo Sorrentino

Italian writer-director Paolo Sorrentino drew widespread praise for his visually striking, complex dramas, which included such festival favorites as "The Family Friend" (2006), "Il Divo" (2008) and "The Great Beauty" (2013). Sorrentino's work drew comparisons to such legendary filmmakers as Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni for its focus on changing identities at both the personal level, as embodied by the state of flux experienced by their lead figures, and on a national scope through explorations of Italy's past and present. Sorrentino rose quickly from European favorite with "Consequences of Love" (2004), which starred his frequent collaborator, Toni Servillo, to international acclaim with "Il Divo" (2008), a glossy examination of real-life Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's controversial career. After making his first English-language feature with "This Must Be the Place" (2011), an eccentric comedy-drama with Sean Penn, Sorrentino earned some of his best reviews for "The Great Beauty" (2013), which reflected on the twilight years of a novelist (Servillo) and his beloved Rome. Paolo Sorrentino's best work offered arthouse cinema at its most visually and emotionally engaging, as well as the promise of greatness to come.