JULY 26 - JURY MEETS
Biography
Elena Sofia Ricci was born in Florence but has been living in Rome for a long time. Her mother was a set designer (Elena Poccetto Ricci) and her adoptive father a director. Her grandmother was the one who, In Florence, sent Elena Sofia to study dance when she was three years old and gifted her with a guitar, this way, unwittingly, passing down to her the passion for performing arts. Ricci’s first real encounter with the stage was in Naples, in the San Ferdinando theater, with Mario Scaccia, who selected her as lead actress in "Scuola delle mogli" (1981). Early in her career she worked both with well-known directors like Avati, Verdone, Odorisio, Magni, Citti, Monicelli, Risi, Nichetti, Gaudino, Ferrario, Poeti, Capitani, Torrini and Tognazzi, and with foreign directors such as Jaques Deray, Juan Luis Buñuel, Roger Young, Beat Kuert. She was an ambiguous Bovary in "Bank Clerks" (1985), an upper-class daughter in "Ultimo minuto" (1987), a rich and capricious girl in "Sposi" (1988), a sharp and nitpicky wife in "Io e mia sorella" (1987), a small-town dark lady in "Ne parliamo lunedì" (1989), a romantic heroine in "In the Name of the Sovereign People" (1990), an unpleasant journalist in "Non chiamarmi Omar" (1992) and, vice versa, a committed journalist and victim in the TV movie "Contro ogni volontà" (1992). She alternates television and film hits, ranging from series like "Giovanni Falcone" (2006), "Orgoglio" (2004-2006) and "Amiche mie" (2008 - directed by Miniero and Genovese) to roles that have stayed in the audience imagination like the ones played in the two films directed by Ferzan Ozpetek ("Mine Vaganti", "Loose Cannons", 2010 and "Allacciate le cinture", "Fasten Your Seatbelts", 2014) or in "Genitori & Figli" (2010) by Giovanni Veronesi, not disdaining to work with rising directors such as in "Noi siamo Francesco" (2014) by Guendalina Zampagni and "Ho ucciso Napoleone" ("I Killed Napoléon", 2015) by Giorgia Farina. Among her latest film roles, the part of Veronica Lario in "Loro" (2018), by Paolo Sorrentino, which earned her a Nastro D’Argento (Silver Ribbon) - Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Award and a David di Donatello Award as Best Actress. Not to be overlooked are her stage performances, her first passion, where she shows how versatile her talent is in passing from comedy to drama, her interpretations ranging from Pirandello, Shakespeare and Miller, always working with great directors like Mattia Sbragia, Giancarlo Sepe, Armando Pugliese e Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. Many are the recognitions she earned throughout her career, among these: three David di Donatello Awards, three Golden Ciak, three Silver Ribbons, two Ennio Flaiano, an Italian Golden Globe, a Telegatto and a Grolla d’Oro Awards.
photo credits: STEFANO GUINDANI