Born in
Bagheria, near
Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by
Luigi Pirandello and
Eduardo De Filippo. He worked initially as a freelance photographer. Then, switching to cinema, he made his debut with
Le minoranze etniche in Sicilia (
The Ethnic Minorities in Sicily), a collaborative documentary film which won a Salerno Festival prize. He then worked for
RAI before releasing his first full-length film,
The Professor, in 1985. This evoked a positive response from audiences and critics alike and Tornatore was awarded the
Silver Ribbon for
best new director. In 1988, a collaboration with producer
Franco Cristaldi gave birth to Tornatore's best known screen work:
Cinema Paradiso, a film narrating the life of a successful film director who has returned to his native town in
Sicily for the funeral of his mentor. This obtained worldwide success and won the 1990
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Subsequently, Tornatore released several other films. In 2007 he won the Silver George for Best Director at the
29th Moscow International Film Festival for
The Unknown Woman. ==Personal life==