Born in Naples in 1959, Mario Martone is a director and screenwriter. He began his career in the theatre, co-founding the Neapolitan group "Falso Movimento" in 1977, one of the most significant contemporary avant-garde collectives. With an early interest in the dialogue between various artistic expressions, he transitioned naturally into cinema in the 1990s, becoming part of a new wave of directors from Naples that also included figures such as Pappi Corsicato and Paolo Sorrentino. Through films like Rehearsals for War (1998) or the historical fresco We Believed (2010), Martone questioned the place of violence and art in society. His first feature-film, Morte di un matematico napoletano, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1992. In addition to his work in theater and cinema, he also made his debut as an opera director in 1989, with Charlotte Corday, by Lorenzo Ferrero. All these achievements attest to an eclectic and highly acclaimed career. Following a tribute to his body of work at the 2018 edition of LEFFEST and the screening of his film Nostalgia in the 2022 competition — he also served as jury president in 2024 — he now returns to the festival with another film in the Official Competition: Trick. This will be his third appearance at LEFFEST.
