Career
Luca Guadagnino made his directorial debut in 1999 when he directed a feature film titled ‘The Protagonists’ which opened at the Venice Film Festival. A year later, he directed the short film ‘L'uomo risacca’. This was followed by the documentary ‘Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory’ which released in 2002.
In 2003, he directed 'The Making of Lotus'. After this, his 2004 film ‘Cuoco Contadino’ premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2005, Guadagnino co-wrote and directed ‘Melissa P.’ and also began working for Fendi, an Italian fashion house. In the year 2006, he served on the jury of the Torino Film Festival in the Official Jury section.
This was followed by his contributions to the short films 'Part Deux' and 'Delfinasia', both of which were released in 2007.
He next came up with 'The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono – Bisogna morire', a documentary he wrote, produced and directed in 2008.
In 2009, Guadagnino wrote, produced, and directed the cult hit ‘I Am Love’. Starring Pippo Delbono, Tilda Swinton, and Gabriele Ferzetti, the film was an instant success with the audiences and critics alike.
The talented director became a member of the Venice Film Festival in 2010. He also produced the well-received short film ‘Diarchia’ the same year.
His projects for 2011 included ‘Inconscio Italiano’, documentary film that was presented at the Locarno Film Festival. Also, that year, Guadagnino debuted as an opera director at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Italy.
In 2012, he launched Frenesy, a production company and creative agency that conceives and implements communication processes for luxury brands and also works on fashion films, high-profile creative events, and video and print advertising.
Guadagnino’s contribution to documentary filmmaking continued with his next release ‘Bertolucci on Bertolucci’ in 2013. The documentary was screened at about 50 festivals during 2013 and 2014, including the Venice Film Festival, Paris Cinemathèque, and the London Film Festival.
In 2014, he served as the associate producer of the documentary ‘Belluscone: A Sicilian Story’. This was followed by the erotic thriller flick ‘A Bigger Splash’ which he directed.
In 2016, Guadagnino produced the documentary ‘Ombre dal fondo. A year later, he was roped in to direct Steven Knight’s adaption ‘Rio’. However, it was later revealed that he left the project after Michelle Williams joined it.
Guadagnino next directed and produced a remake of Dario Argento's ‘Suspiria’ in 2018. Set in Berlin circa 1977, the movie focused on the uncompromising force of motherhood. Presented at the 75th Venice Film Festival, ‘Suspiria’ received generally positive reviews.
He then came up with his release ‘The Staggering Girl’, a short film. Produced and directed by Guadagnino, the flick starred Julianne Moore, Marthe Keller, Kyle MacLachlan, KiKi Layne, Alba Rohrwacher, and Mia Goth.