Alongside Michael Haneke, Sorrentino is probably one of the most decorated European film directors in recent years. His success in 2013/14 was marked by winning the Oscar for best foreign film and the European Film Award for his Rome homage LA GRANDE BELLEZZA. Born in Naples in 1970, the director has developed his very own film language that is as elegant as it is demanding in ten full-length feature films to date and the series THE YOUNG POPE, which he premiered in Cologne. Sorrentino combines influences from David Lynch to Federico Fellini to create his own aesthetic, which uses exaggeration and the grotesque to distort reality beyond recognition. His films and TV work, such as HOMEMADE most recently, repeatedly revolve around themes such as the consequences of fame (CHEYENNE – THIS MUST BE THE PLACE), how power works (IL DIVO) and aging (ETERNAL YOUTH). With 2021’s IN THE HANDS OF GOD, he made an artistic return to his hometown, Naples.