Paolo Taviani dead at 92: Italian film director died in Rome after short illness 6 years after brother's death

Paolo Taviani, an iconic Italian film director died in Rome this month following a short illness, aged 92. The director helmed 30 short and feature films alongside his late brother Vittorio, as well as two TV movies, and also worked as a writer on several of the projects.

Although not a big name in the UK, the Taviani brothers were heavily involved in Italian cinema, including historical drama Caesar Must Die, fantasy romance The Night of Shooting Stars, and biopic Padre Padrone.

Together the pair won several awards for their films including the Palme d'or and Grand Prix at Cannes in 1977 for Padre Padrone, the Golden Lion at Venice in 1986, and the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2012 for Caesar Must Die.

Paolo’s elder brother Vittorio passed away in 2018, aged 88 - the last film they worked on together was Wondrous Boccaccio in 2015.

Following his brother’s illness and death Paolo continued to direct, releasing two more films, Rainbow: A Private Affair in 2017, and Leonora addio in 2022. Paolo died from a pulmonary edema on March 1 at a hospital in Rome. He is survived by his wife, Lina Nerli Taviani, and his two children, Ermanno and Valentina.