Born in Palermo in 1971, he spent his childhood in Ethiopia. He studied film at the La Sapienza University in Rome. The film The Protagonists (1999) marked his debut as a director, followed by Mundo Civilizado (2003), Cuoco Contadino (2004), Melissa P. (2005, 30th Mostra), I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), Call Me by Your Name (2017) and Suspiria (2018).