Ginevra Elkann (born 24 September 1979) is a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-born
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
. She is a member of the
Agnelli family
The Agnelli family () is an Italian multi-industry business dynasty founded by Giovanni Agnelli, one of the original founders of the Fiat motor company which became Italy's largest automobile manufacturer. They are also primarily known for other ...
and granddaughter of Italian
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
.
Early life
Elkann was born in London,
[New York Times: "Portrait of a Lady" By Rob Haskell]
February 14, 2014 the daughter of Margherita Agnelli and the French-Italian writer
Alain Elkann
Alain Elkann (born March 23, 1950) is an Italian novelist, journalist. Currently, Elkann is the conductor of cultural programs on Italian television. He is president of the Scientific Committee of the Italy–USA Foundation. A recurring theme in ...
. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Catholic, and she was raised Catholic. Her maternal grandparents were princess and socialite
Marella Agnelli
Marella Agnelli (; born Donna Marella Caracciolo dei Principi di Castagneto ; 4 May 1927 – 23 February 2019)''Almanach de Gotha''. Gotha: Justus Perthes. 1942. pp. 398–399. was an Italian noblewoman, art collector, socialite, style icon and ...
and the industrialist
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
. She is the great-grand-niece of
Ettore Ovazza
Ettore Ovazza (21 March 1892, in Turin – 11 October 1943, in Intra) was an Italian Jewish banker. Believing that his privileged position would be restored after the war, Ovazza stayed on after the Germans marched into Italy. Together with his ...
.
She has two older brothers
John Elkann
John Philip Jacob Elkann (born 1 April 1976) is an Italian industrialist. In 1997, he became the chosen heir of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli, following the death of Gianni's nephew Giovanni Alberto Agnelli and since 2004 has been leading the A ...
and
Lapo Elkann
Lapo Edovard Elkann (born 7 October 1977) is an Italian businessman, philanthropist and grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former controlling CEO and controlling shareholder of Fiat Automobiles.
Background
A member of the Agnelli family, Elkann was ...
. Her brother, the industrialist
John Elkann
John Philip Jacob Elkann (born 1 April 1976) is an Italian industrialist. In 1997, he became the chosen heir of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli, following the death of Gianni's nephew Giovanni Alberto Agnelli and since 2004 has been leading the A ...
, is Chairman of the
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
group of companies. Her parents divorced when she was young and she moved first to Rio de Janeiro and then to Paris with her mother and stepfather, Russian count Serge de Pahlen.
Career
Elkann worked as third assistant director on
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...
’s 1998 film ''
L’assedio'', and was video assistant on Anthony Minghella’s
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' (1999).
Later she studied
filmmaking
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
at the
London Film School
London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK. . In 2005, her LFS graduation film, the nine-minute ''Vado a messa'' ("I’m going to Mass"), was screened during a "Cinema Schools" special event at the
62nd Venice International Film Festival
The 62nd annual Venice International Film Festival opened on 31 August 2005 with Tsui Hark's ''Seven Swords'' and closed on 10 September 2005 with a screening of Peter Ho-sun Chan's musical '' Perhaps Love''. The lineups were announced by the ...
. Asked whether she had any particular subjects in mind for a feature-length film, she mentioned two: a thriller set in the world of
synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...
, and an adaptation of her father’s story ''Piazza Carignano'', which concerns a
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
. It is inspired by the story of her father's side of the family, who were the influential Ovazza banking family (early allies and important financial patrons of
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
).
In 2009 she founded production company Caspian Films, first producing ''Frontier Blues'', debut feature film by Iranian director and fellow London Film School graduate
Babak Jalali
Babak Jalali ( fa, بابک جلالی) is an Iranian film director and producer, notably directing ''Radio Dreams'', for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Early life
Jalali was born in Iran an ...
. This film was developed with support from the
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
Cinéfondation
La ''Cinéfondation'' is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes Film Festival, created to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers.
It was created in 1998 by Gilles Jacob. Since then it has developed complementary ...
and premiered in competition at the
62nd Locarno Film Festival. She then produced other independent feature films such as ''
White Shadow'', directed by Noaz Deshe (2013), which won the ''Lion of the Future'' award at the
70th Venice International Film Festival
The 70th annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy from 28 August to 7 September 2013. American film director William Friedkin was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucc ...
, ''
Chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...
'', directed by Lamberto Sanfelice (2015), which premiered at the
2015 Sundance Film Festival
The 2015 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 22 to February 1, 2015. ''What Happened, Miss Simone?'', a biographical documentary film about American singer Nina Simone, opened the festival. Comedy-drama film ''Grandma'', directed by Pa ...
, and again with
Babak Jalali
Babak Jalali ( fa, بابک جلالی) is an Iranian film director and producer, notably directing ''Radio Dreams'', for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Early life
Jalali was born in Iran an ...
on his third feature ''
Land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...
'', which premiered in the Panorama section at the
68th Berlin International Film Festival
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film ''Isle of Dogs'' opened the festival, becoming f ...
.
In 2012 she founded production and distribution company Good Films, together with Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Luigi Musini and Lorenzo Mieli.
In 2019, her debut feature film as a director ''Magari'' ("If Only") had its world premiere as the opening film at the
72nd Locarno Film Festival
The 72nd annual Locarno Festival was held from 7 August to 17 August 2019. The debut feature by Italian director-producer Ginevra Elkann's ''Magari'' opened the festival, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's ''To the Ends of the Earth'' was screened as clos ...
Due to the
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, theatrical distribution of the film could not go ahead as programmed, so the film was made available on
RaiPlay
RaiPlay is the multimedia portal owned by the Italian national broadcaster RAI replacing Rai.tv since 12 September 2016. It is for watching popular Italian shows such as 'Inspector Montalbano', 'Don Matteo' and many more.
Login and registration, ...
, the streaming platform of Italian
national broadcaster
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
in May 2020.
Personal life
She married Count Giovanni
Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona (b. 1973) in a Roman Catholic ceremony in
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
(
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
) on 25 April 2009. She has two sons and a daughter with her husband: Giacomo (born 15 August 2009), Pietro (born 31 October 2012) and Marella (born 27 May 2014).
Filmography
Director
* ''Vado a messa'' - Short Film (2005)
* ''Magari'' (2019)
Producer
* ''Frontier Blues'', directed by
Babak Jalali
Babak Jalali ( fa, بابک جلالی) is an Iranian film director and producer, notably directing ''Radio Dreams'', for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Early life
Jalali was born in Iran an ...
(2009)
* ''Noche'', directed by Leonardo Brzezicki (2013)
* ''
White Shadow'', directed by Noaz Deshe (2013)
* ''
Chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...
'', directed by Lamberto Sanfelice (2015)
* ''
Arianna'' , directed by Carlo Lavagna (2015)
* ''Prova contraria'', directed by Chiara Agnello - documentary (2016)
* ''
Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno'', directed by
Abdellatif Kechiche
Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...
(2017)
* ''
Land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...
'', directed by
Babak Jalali
Babak Jalali ( fa, بابک جلالی) is an Iranian film director and producer, notably directing ''Radio Dreams'', for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Early life
Jalali was born in Iran an ...
(2018)
Ancestry
References
2005 interview with Giovanni Bogani
*
External links
Vogue Italia: "Ginevra Elkann Interview"May 13, 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkann, Ginevra
1979 births
Agnelli family
Italian people of French-Jewish descent
Italian film directors
Italian women film directors
Italian people of Jewish descent
Living people
Italian Roman Catholics
Italian film producers
Film directors from London
Italian people of American descent
Alumni of the London Film School