Born in Istanbul in 1959, Ferzan Ozpetek moved to Italy in 1976 to study Film History at University in Rome and subsequently qualified as a film director at the Accademia d’arte
drammatica “Silvio d’Amico.” After collaborating with the Living Theatre, in 1982 he began his career as an assistant director which spanned 15 years and led him to work with such directors as Massimo Troisi, Mauricio Ponzi, Ricky Tognazzi, Lamberto Bava, Francesco Nuti, Sergio Citti, Giovanni Veronesi and Marco Risi.
Ozpetek made his directorial debut in 1996 with Hamam (The Turkish Bath) which was presented at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight and became an international success.
His second film Harem Suare (1999) about the fall of the Ottoman Empire was followed by. Le Fate Ignoranti ( Ignorant Fairies) in 2001 which won four Italian Silver Ribbon and three
Italian Golden Globes. Likewise, La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Windows, 2003) was enormously successful both in Italy and international festivals. It won David di Donatello award 2003, four Ciak d’Oro awards and three Italian Golden Globes. Cuore Sacro (Sacred
Heart, 2005) won two David Donatello awards and a Best Director Globi d’Oro, and was followed by Saturno Contro (Saturn in Opposition) and Un Giorno Perfetto (A Perfect Day, 2008), In December 2008, Ozpetek was one of the few Italian directors to be offered a
retrospective by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti, 2010) proved to be his greatest domestic box office success to date, winning many awards including five Italian Silver Ribbons including Best Comedy,
four Italian Golden Globe including Best Film, and the HBO Best Feature Audience award at Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In 2011, he directed his first opera – Giuseppe Verdi’s
Aida, for Maggio Musicale Fiorentino which was a resounding success with critics and audiences alike.
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