Uberto Pasolini
Encyclopedia
Uberto Pasolini Dall'Onda (born 1 May 1957 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian film producer
, director
, and former investment banker
known for producing the 1997 film The Full Monty
and directing and producing the 2008 film Machan
.
and a descendent of Luchino Visconti
, worked as an investment banker in England for 12 years. He wished to work on the film The Killing Fields
, was interviewed by David Puttnam
, and was rejected. When Puttnam went to Bangkok to shoot the film, Pasolini bought his own ticket and presented himself on set seeking work. Puttnam was impressed by this persistance and brought him on board the project. Pasolini subsequently acted as location scout for such films as Roland Joffé
's The Killing Fields
(1984), The Frog Prince, and The Mission (1986). He served as an assistant director with producer's duties on The Frog Prince (for which he also assisted in translations while shooting in Paris), and The Mission.
Pasolini moved to Los Angeles when Puttnam was appointed as head of Columbia Pictures
, and served as vice president of production, and in 1988 oversaw production of both David Mamet
's Things Change and Emir Kusturica
's Time of the Gypsies
. Later in 1988, Pasolini returned to London and rejoined Enigma Films to serve as associate producer on Meeting Venus
(1991), and as producer on A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia for an episode of the TV series Great Performances
. In 1994 Pasolini left Enigma and founded Redwave Films as a production company to produce the film Palookaville
for which he chose David Epstein to write the screenplay and Alan Taylor
to direct,
In 1997, Pasolini received international recognition as producer of the film The Full Monty
. He conceived the idea for the film and chose Simon Beaufoy
to write the screenplay and Peter Cattaneo
to direct. In 2000, Pasolini asked Aileen Ritchie to direct the William Ivory film The Closer You Get, and in 2001 produced The Emperor's New Clothes, directed by Alan Taylor with a screenplay by Kevin Molony, Herbie Wave, and Taylor himself.
Pasolini's next film was inspired by a real event. In 2004, in order to get visa
s granting them access to an international handball tournament being held in Bavaria, 23 Sri Lankan men fooled the German embassy in Colombo into believing they were the Sri Lanka National Handball team. The men then travelled to Germany on the pretext of taking part in the sports tournament, but were in fact seeking to emigrate. They postponed their escape and actually took part in several handball matches held by the Asian-German Sports Exchange Program
before vanishing. When Pasolini heard of the incident, he decided to make it into a film to promote discussion on the issue of illegal immigration
, and in 2008 he released the critically acclaimed Machan
, marking his directorial debut.
Pasolini's latest Redwave Films production, Bel Ami
, starring Robert Pattinson
, Uma Thurman
, Kristin Scott Thomas
, and Christina Ricci
, based upon the novel of the same name
by Guy de Maupassant
, is currently in post production.
In 1995, Pasolini married Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman
with whom he has worked on several of his film projects. The two have three children.
as writer/director
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and former investment banker
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
known for producing the 1997 film The Full Monty
The Full Monty
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
and directing and producing the 2008 film Machan
Machan (film)
Machan is a 2008 Sri Lankan comedy film written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini as his directorial debut about the fictional Sri Lankan National Handball Team that vanished in 2004.-Background:...
.
Career
Pasolini, an Italian countCount
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
and a descendent of Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
, worked as an investment banker in England for 12 years. He wished to work on the film The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War ....
, was interviewed by David Puttnam
David Puttnam
David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, FRSA is a British film producer. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords, although he is not principally a politician.-Early life:...
, and was rejected. When Puttnam went to Bangkok to shoot the film, Pasolini bought his own ticket and presented himself on set seeking work. Puttnam was impressed by this persistance and brought him on board the project. Pasolini subsequently acted as location scout for such films as Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé is an English-French film director who is known for his Oscar nominated movies, The Killing Fields and The Mission. He began his career in television. His early television credits included episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada...
's The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War ....
(1984), The Frog Prince, and The Mission (1986). He served as an assistant director with producer's duties on The Frog Prince (for which he also assisted in translations while shooting in Paris), and The Mission.
Pasolini moved to Los Angeles when Puttnam was appointed as head of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, and served as vice president of production, and in 1988 oversaw production of both David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
's Things Change and Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
's Time of the Gypsies
Time of the Gypsies
Time of the Gypsies is a 1988 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbian, Time of the Gypsies tells the story of a young Romani man with magical powers who is tricked into engaging in petty crime...
. Later in 1988, Pasolini returned to London and rejoined Enigma Films to serve as associate producer on Meeting Venus
Meeting Venus
Meeting Venus is a 1991 British–American-Japanese film directed by the Hungarian director István Szabó and starring Glenn Close, Niels Arestrup, Marián Labuda, Victor Poletti, Jay O. Sanders, Maria de Medeiros and Johanna ter Steege...
(1991), and as producer on A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia for an episode of the TV series Great Performances
Great Performances
Great Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972...
. In 1994 Pasolini left Enigma and founded Redwave Films as a production company to produce the film Palookaville
Palookaville (film)
Palookaville is a 1995 motion picture about a pair of trio burglars and their dysfunctional family of origin. Prominent actors featured in the film include William Forsythe, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese and Frances McDormand...
for which he chose David Epstein to write the screenplay and Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor (director)
Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...
to direct,
In 1997, Pasolini received international recognition as producer of the film The Full Monty
The Full Monty
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
. He conceived the idea for the film and chose Simon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoy is a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, he was educated at Malsis School in Cross Hills, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated from The Arts Institute at Bournemouth...
to write the screenplay and Peter Cattaneo
Peter Cattaneo
Peter Cattaneo was born in 1964 in Twickenham, London. He is a two-time Academy Award-nominated English filmmaker most famous for directing the hit British film The Full Monty. He also directed 2005's Opal Dream.-Filmography:-External links:...
to direct. In 2000, Pasolini asked Aileen Ritchie to direct the William Ivory film The Closer You Get, and in 2001 produced The Emperor's New Clothes, directed by Alan Taylor with a screenplay by Kevin Molony, Herbie Wave, and Taylor himself.
Pasolini's next film was inspired by a real event. In 2004, in order to get visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
s granting them access to an international handball tournament being held in Bavaria, 23 Sri Lankan men fooled the German embassy in Colombo into believing they were the Sri Lanka National Handball team. The men then travelled to Germany on the pretext of taking part in the sports tournament, but were in fact seeking to emigrate. They postponed their escape and actually took part in several handball matches held by the Asian-German Sports Exchange Program
Asian-German Sports Exchange Program
Asian-German Sports Exchange Program , is a non-governmental organisation operating in the development sector in Sri Lanka with a partner office in Essen, Germany. A.G.S.E.P...
before vanishing. When Pasolini heard of the incident, he decided to make it into a film to promote discussion on the issue of illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
, and in 2008 he released the critically acclaimed Machan
Machan (film)
Machan is a 2008 Sri Lankan comedy film written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini as his directorial debut about the fictional Sri Lankan National Handball Team that vanished in 2004.-Background:...
, marking his directorial debut.
Pasolini's latest Redwave Films production, Bel Ami
Bel Ami (2011 film)
Bel Ami is an upcoming film starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. The film is directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and is based on the 1885 French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant...
, starring Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
, Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
, and Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
, based upon the novel of the same name
Bel Ami
Bel Ami is French author Guy de Maupassant's second novel, published in 1885. An English translation titled Bel ami, or, The history of a scoundrel: a novel appeared in 1903....
by Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
, is currently in post production.
In 1995, Pasolini married Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman
Rachel Portman
Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman, OBE is a British composer, best known for her film work. She was the first female composer to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Score...
with whom he has worked on several of his film projects. The two have three children.
Filmography
As producer- Meeting VenusMeeting VenusMeeting Venus is a 1991 British–American-Japanese film directed by the Hungarian director István Szabó and starring Glenn Close, Niels Arestrup, Marián Labuda, Victor Poletti, Jay O. Sanders, Maria de Medeiros and Johanna ter Steege...
(1991) - Great PerformancesGreat PerformancesGreat Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972...
(1 episode, 1992) (TV) - PalookavillePalookaville (film)Palookaville is a 1995 motion picture about a pair of trio burglars and their dysfunctional family of origin. Prominent actors featured in the film include William Forsythe, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese and Frances McDormand...
(1995) - The Full MontyThe Full MontyThe Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
(1997) - The Closer You Get (2000)
- The Emperor's New Clothes (2001)
- MachanMachan (film)Machan is a 2008 Sri Lankan comedy film written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini as his directorial debut about the fictional Sri Lankan National Handball Team that vanished in 2004.-Background:...
(2008) - Ben AmiBel Ami (2011 film)Bel Ami is an upcoming film starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. The film is directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and is based on the 1885 French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant...
(2011) (post-production)
as writer/director
- The Frog Prince (1986) (assistant director)
- The Mission (1986)
- Machan (2008)
Awards and nominations
- 1997, Won European Film Award for Best Film for The Full Monty
- 1998, Won BAFTA Film Award for Best Film for The Full Monty
- 1998, Won Nova AwardProducers Guild of AmericaProducers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide...
for Most Promising Producer in Theatrical Motion Pictures for The Full Monty - 1998, Won ALFS Award for British Producer of the Year for Palookaville and The Full Monty
- 1998, nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture from for The Full Monty
- 1998, nomination for Golden Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for The Full Monty
- 1998, nominated for Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for The Full Monty
- 1998, nominated for Australian Film Institute AwardAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Best Foreign Film Award for The Full Monty - 2008, Won FEDIC Award at Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
- 2008, Won Label Europa Cinemas Award for Best European film at Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
for Machan - 2008, Won Audience Award at Kerala International Film Festival for Machan
- 2008, Nominated for International Jury Award at São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film FestivalThe São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
for Machan - 2009, Won Audience Award for Best Film at Transilvania International Film FestivalTransilvania International Film FestivalThe Transilvania International Film Festival is a film festival held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and established in 2001 by Romanian Film Promotion...
for Machan - 2009, Won Best Feature FIlm at Palm Beach International Film FestivalPalm Beach International Film FestivalThe Palm Beach International Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Palm Beach, Florida which showcases over 120 films annually in April for over 20,000 attendees...
for Machan - 2009, Won Best Screenplay at Durban International Film FestivalDurban International Film FestivalThe Durban International Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It is one of the oldest and largest film festival in Southern African and presents over 200 screenings celebrating the best in South African, African and...
for Machan - 2009, Won Golden Iris for Best Film at Brussels European Film Festival for Machan
- 2009, Won RTBF TV PrizeRTBFRadio Télévision Belge Francophone is the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium...
for Best Picture at Brussels European Film Festival for Machan - 2009, Won Award of the Mayor of the City of TrencinTrencínTrenčín is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 56,000, which makes it the ninth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the Trenčín Region and the Trenčín District...
at Art Film Festival for Machan - 2010, Won Best Film of the Year at the Sarasaviya AwardsSarasaviya AwardsSarasaviya Awards are the most prestigious awards presented to distinguished individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited , Sri Lanka in recognition of the contributions made by them to...
for Machan