International correspondent
Director Luca Guadagnino on the Making of 'Call Me by Your Name'
Young Italian director Giovanni Tortorici, 28, studied ancient Italian literature before realizing that filmmaking was his true calling. Shortly after, he met his Sicilian compatriot Luca Guadagnino, a meeting that marked the beginning of a collaboration that was more enriching for Tortorici than anything he could learn at film school.
Guadagnino produced Tortorici's debut film, "Diciannove," which means "Nineteen" in Italian and is now launching from the Venice Film Festival's Horizons section and the Toronto Film Festival's Discovery program.
In this coming-of-age drama set in 2015, 19-year-old Leonardo leaves his sun-soaked hometown of Palermo for London to join his sister and study business. But his initial enthusiasm soon fades and Leonardo impulsively relocates to the historic city of Siena to immerse himself in the world of ancient Italian literature, ushering in a period of profound self-discovery.
