Calopresti, Mimmo

(1955-)

   Screenwriter, actor, producer, director. After producing several prize-winning videos and a number of historical documentaries for the Democratic Workers Movement and RAI television, Calopresti directed his first feature film, La seconda volta (The Second Time, 1995), an exploration of the personal consequences of the political terrorism of the 1970s, which was immediately nominated for the Golden Palm in Cannes and earned its female lead, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, a David di Donatello. This was followed by La parola amore esiste (Notes of Love, 1998), the bitter-sweet tale of a dysfunctional infatuation, and Preferisco il Rumore del Mare (I Prefer the Sound of the Sea, 1999). In 2002 Calopresti brought his acting talents to the fore, playing the male lead in Francesca Comencini's Le parole di mio padre (My Father's Words, 2002), an elegant and sensitive adaptation of a novel by Italo Svevo, while also directing himself in his fourth feature, La felicita non costa niente (Happiness Costs Nothing, 2002). He subsequently produced actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's directorial debut, E piu facile per un cammello . . . (It's Easier for a Camel. . . , 2003), which was followed by Volevo solo vivere (I Only Wanted to Live, 2005), a documentary bringing together the testimonies of nine Italian concentration camp survivors, coproduced by RAI cinema and Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation Institute.