Pupi Avati


Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati, is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo movies The House with Laughing Windows and Zeder.

Early life and career

Pupi Avati was born in Bologna in 1938. 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.
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. 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 and Thomas e gli indemoniati.
His filmography as a director includes almost forty 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 directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, even though he is not credited for it. He also produced several films for other directors and of 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, with titles including La casa dalle finestre che ridono and Zeder, which are considered his masterpieces.
According to Avati, the TV series Jazz Band, 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.
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.
Avati was nominated Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana on 2 June 1995.
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. 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.
He is also the author of the novels Il ragazzo in soffitta, Il signor diavolo, from which he made a film of the same name the following year, and L'archivio del diavolo.

Personal life

Pupi Avati is married to Amelia "Nicola" Turri and has two sons and a daughter. He is Catholic.

Filmography

Films directed

  • Balsamus, l'uomo di Satana
  • La mazurka del barone, della santa e del fico fiorone
  • Bordella
  • La casa dalle finestre che ridono
  • Tutti defunti... tranne i morti
  • Le strelle nel fosso
  • Aiutami a sognare
  • Zeder released on video as Revenge of the Dead
  • Una gita scolastica
  • Noi tre
  • Impiegati
  • Festa di laurea
  • Regalo di Natale
  • Ultimo minuto
  • Storia di ragazzi e di ragazze
  • Bix
  • Fratelli e sorelle
  • Magnificat
  • Dichiarazioni d'amore
  • L'arcano incantatore
  • Il testimone dello sposo
  • I cavalieri che fecero l'impresa
  • Il cuore altrove
  • La rivincita di Natale
  • Ma quando arrivano le ragazze?
  • La seconda notte di nozze
  • La cena per farli conoscere
  • Il nascondiglio
  • Il papà di Giovanna
  • Gli amici del bar Margherita
  • Il figlio più piccolo
  • Una sconfinata giovinezza
  • The Big Heart of Girls
  • Il bambino cattivo
  • A Golden Boy
  • We Still Talk
  • ''The American Backyard''

    TV productions

  • Jazz Band
  • Cinema!!!
  • Dancing Paradise
  • Accadde a Bologna
  • ''È proibito ballare''

    Written screenplays

  • Thomas e gli indemoniati
  • The Kiss
  • La mazurka del barone, della santa e del fico fiorone
  • Cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco, ovvero: Dracula della Brianza
  • Bordella
  • La casa dalle finestre che ridono
  • Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
  • The Mistress Is Served
  • Tutti defunti... tranne i morti
  • Le strelle nel fosso
  • Macabro
  • Aiutami a sognare
  • Dancing Paradise
  • Zeder
  • Una gita scolastica
  • Noi tre
  • Impiegati
  • Festa di laurea
  • Regalo di Natale
  • Ultimo minuto
  • Storia di ragazzi e di ragazze
  • Bix
  • Fratelli e sorelle
  • Where the Night Begins
  • Magnificat
  • Dichiarazioni d'amore
  • L'amico d'infanzia
  • La stanza accanto
  • Voci notturne
  • Festival
  • L'arcano incantatore
  • Il testimone dello sposo
  • La via degli angeli
  • I cavalieri che fecero l'impresa
  • Il cuore altrove
  • La rivincita di Natale
  • Ma quando arrivano le ragazze?
  • La cena per farli conoscere
  • Il nascondiglio
  • Il papà di Giovanna
  • Gli amici del bar Margherita
  • Il figlio più piccolo
  • ''Una sconfinata giovinezza''

    Titles produced

  • Aiutami a sognare
  • Sposi
  • Storia di ragazzi e di ragazze
  • Bix
  • Io e il re
  • Il Sindaco
  • Caro domani
  • La prima volta
  • ''Gli amici del bar Margherita''

    Awards and nominations

Cannes Film Festival
  • 1991: Golden Palm
  • 1993: Golden Palm
  • 2003: Golden Palm
David di Donatello Awards
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists – Silver Ribbon
  • 1984: Best Director
  • 1984: Best Story
  • 1990: Best Director
  • 1990: Best Screenplay
  • 1997: Best Producer
  • 2000: Best Screenplay
  • 2003: Best Director
  • 2003: Best Original Story
Venice Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
  • 1998: Silver Raven
Fantafestival
  • 1985: Special Award 'FantaItaly'
Fantasporto
  • 1983: International Film Festival Award
Istanbul International Film Festival
  • 1986: Special Prize of the Jury
Montreal World Film Festival
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
  • 1998: Jury's Choice Award
Sannio Film Fest – Capitelli d'oro
  • 2009: Silver Raven
Valladolid International Film Festival
  • 1979: Golden Spike