Francesco Barilli

Francesco Barilli (born 4 February 1943) is an Italian filmmaker, documentarian, painter, and actor.

Early life and education Born in Parma, Barilli was born in a long line of painters and artists, a grand-nephew of Bruno Barilli and Cecrope Barilli, a nephew of Milena Pavlović-Barili, and a cousin of actress Carlotta Barilli. His sister Evelina is a costume designer. He was childhood friends with Bernardo Bertolucci. Barilli stated he was offered several projects afterwards, but turned them down, feeling he was not able to make the films he wanted to. In 1978 he directed another horror film, Pensione paura, which was a commercial disappointment and led Barilli to abandon directing for several years to refocus on painting.

During the following decades, Barilli produced and directed many documentaries for RAI. In 1991, he directed a segment of the anthology film Especially on Sunday. He also wrote the story for the erotic thriller The Trap (1985), directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. In 2002, he directed the RAI miniseries Giorni da Leone starring Luca Barbareschi, which was a success and spawned a sequel series in 2006, also directed by Barilli. He also directed commercials, for brands like Bauli and Fiat, and industrial films.

In 2023, Barilli directed his first theatrical feature film in over 40 years.

In addition to directing and painting, Barilli has also acted in films by directors like Carlos Saura and Gianni Amelio. Partial filmography