Francesco Maselli


Francesco Maselli, also known as Citto Maselli, was an Italian film director and screenwriter.

Biography

Born into a well educated family originally from the Molise region, Maselli graduated from the Italian National Film School in 1949 and began his career as an assistant and assistant director for Luigi Chiarini, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Luchino Visconti. After directing several short documentary and fiction films, he gave his feature film debut with the World War II drama Abandoned, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Following a series of minor films, Maselli had greater success with Silver Spoon Set and Time of Indifference, an adaptation of a novel by Alberto Moravia.
In the 1970s, Maselli turned to openly left-wing political films, notably Lettera aperta a un giornale della sera and The Suspect, before shifting to more intimate films centered on female protagonists in the 1980s such as A Tale of Love and The Secret.
In 2021, Maselli was honoured with a retrospective at the Venice Film Festival, where many of his films had seen their premiere. Maselli died in Rome on 21 March 2023, at the age of 92.

Selected filmography

Director

Feature films

Love in [the City (1953 film)|L'amore in città] Abandoned The Doll That Took the Town Silver Spoon Set Le italiane e l'amore Time of Indifference Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold A Fine Pair Lettera aperta a un giornale della sera The Suspect Tre operai A Tale of Love Private Access L'alba The Secret Intolerance Cronache del terzo millennio Il compagno Civico zero The Red Shadows
  • ''Scossa''

Documentaries

Tibet proibito Bagnaia, villaggio italiano Finestre Zona pericolosa Stracciaroli Sport minore Bambini Ombrelli Uno spettacolo di pupi I fiori Festa dei morti in Sicilia Città che dorme Cantamaggio a Cervarezza Bambini al cinema Adolescenza La suola romana L'addio a Enrico Berlinguer Un altro mondo è possibile Lettere dalla Palestina Firenze, il nostro domani
  • ''Frammenti di Novecento''

Actor

Lettera aperta a un giornale della sera – Man from Beograd Amarcord – Bongioanni La terrazza – HimselfAnd the Ship Sails On – Guardiano del rinoceronte The [Name of the Rose (film)|The Name of the Rose] – Swineherd #3Alfonso Sansone produttore per caso – Himself

Awards