Nanni Moretti

Moretti was born in Bruneck, Italy, to Roman parents who were both teachers. His father was the late epigraphist Luigi Moretti, a Greek teacher at Sapienza University of Rome. His brother is literary scholar Franco Moretti.

While growing up, Moretti discovered his two passions, the cinema and water polo. Having finished his studies, he pursued a career as a producer, and in 1973 directed his first two short films: Pâté de bourgeois and The Defeat (La sconfitta).

In 1976, Nanni Moretti's first feature film Io sono un autarchico (I Am Self-Sufficient) was released. In 1978, he wrote, directed and starred in the movie Ecce Bombo, which tells the story of a student having problems with his entourage. It was screened at the Cannes Festival. Sogni d'oro won the Special Jury Prize at the 38th Venice International Film Festival. La messa è finita won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival.

Having played water polo in the B division of the Italian championship, his experience later inspired his 1989 film Red Wood Pigeon ("palombella," which literally means "little pigeon," refers to a type of lob shot). He may be best known for his films Caro diario (1993; followed in 1998 by a sequel, Aprile) and La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room, 2001), the latter of which won the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.

The Caiman (2006) is in part about Berlusconi's controversies: in one of the three portraits of the Italian prime minister Moretti himself plays Berlusconi. His 2011 film We Have a Pope screened In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, follows the conclave election of new Pope.

His 2015 film Mia Madre was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. His 2021 and 2023 films Three Floors and A Brighter Tomorrow were also selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 and 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Moretti has used certain actors several times in his films, generally playing minor roles. His father Luigi appears in 6 films, Dario Cantarelli and Mauro Fabretti in 5, and Antonio Petrocelli in 4. More notable Italian actors he has employed frequently in his films include Silvio Orlando, who appears in 5 films (including the role of protagonist in Il caimano) and Laura Morante, who was featured in Sogni d'oro, Bianca and The Son's Room.

Even though his works have not been widely seen outside Europe, within his country, Moretti is known as a maker of wryly humorous and eccentric films, usually starring himself. Moretti says he is not religious. In his own words: "I remember the shirts that said 'Thank God I'm an atheist'. Funny. But I do not think so. I'm not a believer and I'm sorry."

Moretti is a famous outspoken political leftist in Italian politics. In 2002, he organized street protests against the government of Silvio Berlusconi, besides his own documentary film The Thing (La cosa), which follows the first meeting of Italian leftist militants after the Italian Communist Party's dissolution proposal in 1989.

Moretti lives in Rome, having been resident since birth, where he is co-owner of a small movie theater, Nuovo Sacher, named like this because of Moretti's passion for Sachertorte. The short film, Il Giorno della prima di Close Up (Opening Day of Close-Up, 1996), shows Moretti at his theatre attempting to encourage patrons to attend the opening day of Abbas Kiarostami's film, Close Up.

In April 2025, Moretti was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack.