Taviani brothers

FRATELLI TAVIANI

The two brothers and directors Paolo was born in San Miniato in 1931 and Vittorio Taviani was born in San Miniato in 1929.

In 1960 they arrived at the cinema as assistants to Joris Ivens in the TV movie 'Italy is not a poor country'. In 1962 they directed with Valentino Orsini the film 'A Man for the Burning' with Gian Maria Volonte, who will become their favourite actor. They worked with Ugo Tognazzi in ‘’Outlaws of Love'. With Volontè they reached great success realizing 'Under the Sign of Scorpio' (1969).They directed a perfect Mastroianni in 'Allosanfan' (1974), followed by 'The meadow' set in a microcosm that called to mind the whole youth generation in crisis (1979). The Night of the Shooting Stars' was set in Tuscany in July 1944 in San Miniato and its surroundings. The Germans announced that they had undermined all the houses of San Miniato, and only those who took refuge in the cathedral would have their life safe; most of the people did not trust them and reached the American lines across the fields, while a group of parishioners gathered around the Bishop in the Cathedral. But the church was blown up and almost everyone died . The fugitives met partisans and were involved in a clash with the fascists, but the most of them were safe and returned their homes at the end of the war. (1982). With 'Padre Padrone'(Father and Master) they got the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 1977, while 'Kaos' (1984)had a great public and critical success . Other successes to be remembered are: 'The Sun Also Shines at Night' (1990), 'Elective Affinities' (1996), 'You laugh'

(1996), 'Resurrection' (2001). 'The Lark Farm' where the Taviani brothers faced the problem of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey, was presented at the Berlin Festival in 2007. In 2012 the Taviani brothers got the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin Film Festival with the film 'Caesar Must Die', where prisoners of Rebibbia prison became actors to stage the 'Giulio Cesare ' of Shakespeare.

Also in 2012, with the same film they won the David di Donatello for best film and best director.