Marco Bellocchio was born in Italy in 1939. In 1959, he suspended his studies in philosophy at the Catholic University in Milan to enroll at the Experimental Center for Cinematography in Rome. He directed several short films before moving to London to attend the Slade School of Fine Arts. His feature-length debut Fists in the Pocket (1965) was presented at the Locarno Film Festival, where it attracted international attention. In 2011, he received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival. In 2015, his feature film Blood Of My Blood won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. Sweet Dreams was screened at the 2016 Directors’ Fortnight, and in 2018, his short film The Fight was nominated for the Illy Prize at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. His latest feature film The Traitor (2019) was screened at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and won multiple awards at various international film festivals.
