Biography
Maria Rita Barbera is an Italian costume designer. She was born in Messina, Sicily, and studied at the local Istituto d'arte before attending the Accademia di belle arti in Rome under Toti Scialoja.
She began working as an assistant costumier in the early 1980s and received her first sole credit as costume designer on Notte italiana (1987). Barbera has designed costumes for more than forty productions, including films directed by Nanni Moretti, Daniele Luchetti and Marco Tullio Giordana. Her credits include Caro diario (1993), Palombella rossa (1989), My Brother Is an Only Child (2007), The Ruthless (2019), Strangeness (2022) and Primavera (2025).
She has won two Ciak d'oro awards, a Nastro d'argento and two David di Donatello awards for best costumes. Barbera is married to producer Angelo Barbagallo and is the mother of director Filippo Barbagallo.
