Born in Palermo in 1971, he spent his childhood in Ethiopia. He studied film at the Sapienza University of 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).