Vittorio De Seta

Vittorio De Seta (15 October 1923 – 28 November 2011) was an Italian filmmaker. Considered one of Italy's great imaginative realists of the 1960s, his films usually documented the country's everyday life.

He is most known for his Banditi a Orgosolo (1961), which incorporated the Italian neorealism with his previous documentary filmmaking background.

Early life He was born in Palermo, Sicily, to a wealthy family, and studied architecture in Rome, before deciding to become a director.

Career De Seta made ten short documentaries between 1954 and 1959, before directing his first feature-length film, Banditi a Orgosolo (Bandits of Orgosolo).

His early documentaries focus on the everyday life of many of Sicily's poorest workers, and are notable for their lack of voice-over narration, quiet mood, and striking color.

In 2005 the rediscovery of Vittorio De Seta's work was a highlight of Tribeca Film Festival and Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, where Détour De Seta, a documentary on the Italian director was presented.

Filmography Banditi a Orgosolo (1961) Almost a Man (1966) L'invitata (1969) Diario di un maestro (1972) TV mini-series Un anno a Pietralata (1974) TV movie In Calabria (1993) Lettere dal Sahara (2006) articolo 23 (2008) Short

Documentaries Lu tempu di li pisci spata, 1954 Isole di fuoco, 1954 Surfarara, 1955 Pasqua in Sicilia, 1955 Contadini del mare, 1955 Parabola d'oro, 1955 Pescherecci, 1958 Pastori di Orgosolo, 1958 Un giorno in Barbagia, 1958 I dimenticati, 1959 In Calabria, 1993 Dedicato ad Antonino Uccello, 2003

Awards 1957. David di Donatello: Targa d'argento. 1961. Best First Work in the Venice Film Festival with Banditi a Orgosolo. 1962. Silver Ribbon of the Best Cinematography B/W at the Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani (Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists) with Banditi a Orgosolo.