Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, The House with Laughing Windows (1976) and Zeder (1983).
Pupi Avati was born in Bologna in 1938.[2] After attending school and studying political science at the University of Florence, he started working at a frozen food company. At the same time, he developed a passion for jazz, becoming a proficient clarinetist. In the second half of the 1950s, he formed and played in the Doctor Dixie Jazz Band, of which Lucio Dalla was also a member.[3]
Although he initially intended to be a professional musician, Avati felt he lacked the necessary talent. In the mid-1960s, he decided to dedicate himself to cinema after seeing Federico Fellini's 8½ and its portrait of the role of a director.[4] Avati's passion for music, as well as his love for his hometown, which was the setting of many of his films, were to become recurrent themes found in his productions.
His first films were Balsamus. L'uomo di Satana (1968) e Thomas… gli indemoniati (1969).[5]
His filmography as a director includes almost forty[vague] films and television works. As a screenwriter, Avati wrote or co-authored the majority of his movies, as well as screenplays for other directors. He cooperated on the script of Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1976) directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, even though he is not credited for it. [citation needed] He also produced several films for other directors and in his own work. Many of his movies are also produced by his brother Antonio Avati.
Avati began his career directing horror films and is considered one of the most notable Italian directors of this genre,[4] with titles including La casa dalle finestre che ridono (The House with Laughing Windows, 1976) and Zeder (1983), which are considered his masterpieces.
According to Avati, the TV series Jazz Band (1978), written about the story of the Doctor Dixie Jazz Band marked a turning point for his work. The subject of his movies began coming from his own experience, and his cinema became more nostalgic, introspective, and autobiographic. Moreover, the series was successful and brought Avati to the attention of a wider public compared to his previous films.[3]
Throughout his career, Avati successfully directed and produced many genres of film, including horrors, medieval period pieces, dramas, jazz comedies, buddy comedies, biopics and others, proving himself to be a versatile director.
During his career as a director, screenwriter, and producer, Avati was nominated for the Golden Palm, Silver Ribbons, David di Donatello Awards, and many others. He won two David di Donatello Awards and five Silver Ribbons.
He has presided over the Federico Fellini Foundation, created in 1995, in memory of the great Rimini-born director.
In 2008, Avati published his autobiography, Sotto le stelle di un film.[6] Inspired by the autobiography of the director, in 2010, Claudio Costa made a documentary film of interviews and animations, called Pupi Avati, ieri oggi domani ("Pupi Avati, yesterday today tomorrow").
He is also the author of the novels Il ragazzo in soffitta (2015), Il signor diavolo (2018), from which he made a film of the same name the following year,[7] and L'archivio del diavolo (2020).
Personal life
Pupi Avati is married to Amelia "Nicola" Turri and has two sons and a daughter.[8] He is Catholic.[9][10]
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The House with Laughing Windows is a 1976 Italian giallo-horror film co-written and directed by Pupi Avati. The film was shot in Lido degli Scacchi in the Ferrara province of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.
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Help Me Dream is a 1981 Italian romance film directed by Pupi Avati and starring Mariangela Melato, Anthony Franciosa and Orazio Orlando.
Regalo di Natale, internationally released as Christmas Present, is a 1986 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. It entered the 43° Venice Film Festival, in which Carlo Delle Piane won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. For his performance in this film Diego Abatantuono won a Nastro d'Argento for Best supporting Actor. The film has a sequel, Christmas Rematch.
A School Outing is a 1983 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Pupi Avati. It entered the 40° Venice Film Festival. The film won the Nastro d'Argento Awards for Best Director, Best Score, Best Actor, Best New Actress and Best Original Script.
The Story of Boys & Girls is a 1989 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. The film won the Silver Ribbons for best director and for best script and the David di Donatello for best screenplay.
Ultimo minuto is a 1987 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. The film won the David di Donatello for best sound and for best original song.
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↑ Poppi, Roberto (2002). I registi: dal 1930 ai giorni nostri (in Italian). Rome: Gremese. ISBN88-8440-171-2.
1 2 Isola, Simone (2002). Pupi Avati: il nascondiglio dei generi (in Italian). Rome: Sovera. ISBN88-8124-723-2.
1 2 Strada, Riccardo (2005). Il buio oltre lo schermo: gli archetipi del cinema di paura. introduction by Carlo Lucarelli; preface by Baldo Lami. Milan: Zephyro. ISBN88-8389-022-1.
↑ Gambi, Paolo. I vip parlano di Dio: dialoghi sul senso della vita, il destino e la felicità (in Italian). Casale Monferrato: Piemme. p.91-92. ISBN978-88-384-3379-5.
↑ Dell'Arti, Giorgio; Parrini, Massimo (2008). "AVATI Pupi". Catalogo dei viventi 2009: 7247 italiani notevoli con l'indice di tutti i nomi citati (in Italian). Venice: Marsilio. p.162. ISBN978-88-317-9599-9.
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