Born in Asmara, Eritrea, in 1963 and raised in Rome, Gianfranco Rosi studied film in New York, and made documentaries in India, Mexico and the Americas. His films are made with long periods of immersion in the place and without interviews, narration or commentary. Sacro GRA (2013), a portrait of the people who live along Rome's ring road, was the first documentary to win the Golden Lion at Venice. Fire at Sea (2016), set on the island of Lampedusa and its refugees, won the Golden Bear and was nominated for an Oscar. Notturno (2020) was shot over three years on the borders of Iraq, Syria and Kurdistan.
Filmography
- Below Sea Level (2008)
- Sacro GRA (2013)
- Fire at Sea (2016)
- Notturno (2020)