Maurizio Nichetti

Life and career

Born in Milan, Nichetti graduated in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. In 1971, after attending a mime course at the Piccolo Teatro, he became a collaborator of Bruno Bozzetto at his production company. In 1974, he founded a mime school, Quelli di Grok. After playing a major role in Bozzetto's Allegro non troppo, he made his directorial debut with the silent comedy film Ratataplan; the film premiered at the 36th Venice International Film Festival to critical acclaim, and was a surprise commercial success, marking Nichetti's breakout.

Nichetti's 1989 film The Icicle Thief won the Golden St. George at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. It received international critical acclaim and got Nichetti a Nastro d'Argento for best original story. His following film, the mixture of animation and live action To Want to Fly, got him a David di Donatello for best screenplay. His 1996 film Luna e l'altra was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and got Nichetti a Silver Ribbon for Best Director. In 1998, he was a member of the jury at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival, and the following year he was a member of the jury at the 52nd Cannes Film Festival. Between 2004 and 2010, he was artistic director of the . He has also been active on stage and on television.

Filmography

Film Director

• 1979 – Ratataplan
• 1980 – I Made a Splash
• 1983 – Tomorrow We Dance (Domani si balla!)
• 1986 – Il Bi e il Ba
• 1989 – The Icicle Thief (Ladri di saponette)
• 1991 – To Want to Fly (Volere volare)
• 1993 – Stefano Quantestorie
• 1995 – Snowball (Palla di neve)
• 1996 – Luna e l'altra
• 2001 – Honolulu Baby
• 2008 – Dottor Clown (TV)
• 2025 – AmicheMai

Actor

• 1976 – Allegro non troppo
• 1979 – Ratataplan
• 1982 – Tomorrow We Dance (Domani si balla!)
• 1983 – Hearts and Armour (I Paladini: Storia d'armi e d'amori)
• 1984 – Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno
• 1989 – The Icicle Thief (Ladri di saponette)
• 1991 – To Want to Fly (Volere volare)
• 1993 – Stefano Quantestorie
• 1994 – Seven Sundays (Tous les jours dimanche)
• 1995 – Snowball (Palla di neve)
• 1996 – Luna e l'altra
• 2002 – Ciao America
• 2010 – Somewhere
• 2015 – Arrivano i prof
• 2021 – On Our Watch

References

References

1. Pistoia, Marco (2004). "[https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/maurizio-nichetti_(Enciclopedia-del-Cinema)/ Nichetti, Maurizio]". ''Enciclopedia del Cinema''. [[Treccani]]. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
2. (12 October 2009). "The A to Z of Italian Cinema". [[Bloomsbury Publishing]].
3. (28 September 2013). "QUELLI DI GROCK/ Nichetti: la scuola che da 40 anni ha cambiato il teatro a Milano (e in Italia)". Il Sussidiario.
4. "16th Moscow International Film Festival (1989)". MIFF.
5. (20 December 1996). "And the Golden Globes nominees include...". [[USA Today]].
6. (24 March 1997). "‘Luna’ nabs Italo Ribbon". [[Variety (magazine).
7. (5 August 2023). "Maurizio Nichetti, dai trionfi di Ratataplan al figlio videomaker, ecco cosa fa ora". [[Corriere della Sera]].