Alice Rohrwacher


Alice Rohrwacher is an Italian film director, editor and screenwriter. She made her directorial debut with Heavenly Body and gained international attention with The Wonders, which won the Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival). She received further acclaim for Happy as Lazzaro, winner of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay, and for La chimera, which competed for the Palme d'Or. Her short film Le pupille was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In 2026, she will receive the European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award.

Early life

Rohrwacher was born on 29 December 1981 in Fiesole, Tuscany, to an Italian mother and a German father, Reinhard Rohrwacher, who worked as a Beekeeper. She grew up in the rural village of Castel Giorgio, Umbria, where her mother was born and where the family maintained a close connection to agricultural and artisanal traditions. These early experiences, marked by communal living, spirituality and the countryside lifestyle, would later strongly influence the themes and imagery of her films.
Her older sister, Alba Rohrwacher, became a prominent Italian actress and has appeared in several of Alice's films, creating a recurring artistic collaboration. Rohrwacher studied Classics at the University of Turin before specializing in screenwriting at the Holden School in Turin.

Career

Rohrwacher's first experience in filmmaking came in 2006, when she directed a segment of the Italian documentary Checosamanca, a collaborative project exploring contemporary youth culture in Italy.
In 2011, she made her feature film debut with Heavenly Body, which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. The film introduced many of Rohrwacher's stylistic trademarks, including naturalistic performances, spiritual themes and depictions of adolescence.
Her second feature, The Wonders, premiered in competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix, gaining her international recognition. In the same year, she was appointed President of the International Jury for the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
In 2015, Rohrwacher directed the short film De Djess, part of the Miu Miu Women's Tales series, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Yanet Mojica. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and New York Fashion Week, exploring a magical dress in a surreal seaside hotel setting.
In 2017, Rohrwacher began production on her third feature, Happy as Lazzaro, starring Sergi López and her sister Alba Rohrwacher. The film premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where Rohrwacher won the award for Best Screenplay. Happy as Lazzaro was later released internationally on Netflix in December of that year.
In June 2018, Rohrwacher was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She later served on the jury of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Her short film Le pupille, produced by Alfonso Cuarón, premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Rohrwacher's fourth feature, La chimera, starring Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini, premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d'Or.
In 2024, she co-directed the short film An Urban Allegory with JR, which premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
In 2025, Rohrwacher was appointed Jury President of the Caméra d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2026, she is scheduled to receive the European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award.

Style

Rohrwacher's work is often described as a blend of magical realism and Italian neorealism, combining realistic depictions of rural life with elements of the fantastic. 
Her films frequently focus on adolescence and youth, exploring the inner lives of young characters as they navigate moral, social and spiritual challenges.
She often sets her stories in small towns or rural communities in Italy, highlighting traditional customs and local landscapes. Critics note her use of long takes, natural lighting and unobtrusive camerawork, which enhances the immersive realism of her narratives.
Themes of community, social inequality, and the intersection between innocence and corruption recur throughout her work. Additionally, she frequently collaborates with actors she knows personally, including her sister Alba Rohrwacher, creating a sense of intimacy and authenticity in performances.