Ermanno Olmi

Born on the 24th of July 1932 in Treviglio, Lombardy, Italy, Ermanno Olmi was the brains behind The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978), Il Posto (1961) and The Profession of Arms (2001). Olmi's former work focused on life in the business world while his later films deal with religious and social themes. Coming from a science background, Olmi was a student in several acting courses at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan. He learnt filmmaking while working at a major Milanese electric company.

He's directed more than 40 short informational films and company documentaries from 1952 to 1961. His first feature-length production was the 1959 classic Time Stood Still, which was an analysis of the relationship between two guards who were forced to spend the winter together in inactivity.

The film's success led to the formation of a production company cofounded by Olmi. It was this company that distributed his first commercial film – Il Posto. The film was a disheartening story of a young man's isolation. His next film – I fidanzati, portrayed the difficulties of a young Milanese couple during a temporary work assignment in Sicily.

Olmi then turned to Catholicism and class structure, which dominated his films well into the 1990s. His first film on these subjects was the story of Angelo Roncalli before he became Pope, called, And There Came a Man (1965). Olmi's humble origins were viewed in his films I recuperanti and The Tree of the Wooden Clogs, which was an episodic study of a year in the life of Lombardy peasants at the end of the 19th century.

The writer/ director fits perfectly into the artistic mold of Italian neorealism but at the same time responds against it as he claims he used non-actors in authentic locations where neorealism used professional actors. Something several neorealist directors also did. Olmi's films on the otherhand are shot in long slow takes and usually contain some sort of social commentary, a rare feat for neorealists.

One of his best known films, The Tree of Wooden Clogs was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. While Walking, Walking was screened out of competition in the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. Olmi, The Legend of the Holy Drinker starring Rutger Hauer based on the novel by Joseph Roth went ahead to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1988, the film also won a David di Donatello award. His film The Profession of Arms also won a David di Donatello award.