---
name: "Vincenzo Cerami"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/vincenzo-cerami"
fi1m_id: "vincenzo-cerami"
imdb_id: "nm0148437"
tmdb_id: 9234
wikidata_id: "Q1334704"
roles: ["Assistant director trainee"]
born: "2 November 1940"
died: "17 July 2013"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T15:38:21.144392+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vincenzo Cerami

## Identity

Vincenzo Cerami

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/vincenzo-cerami
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** vincenzo-cerami
- **IMDb ID:** nm0148437
- **TMDB ID:** 9234
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1334704
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Cerami, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1334704, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148437/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9234

Assistant director trainee. Born 2 November 1940 in Rome, Italy. Died 17 July 2013.

## Details

- **Work:** Assistant director trainee
- **Born:** 2 November 1940, Rome, Italy
- **Died:** 17 July 2013
- **Active:** 1965–1997
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 writing, 1 crew
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 88 (1), 1990s 65 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Cerami, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1334704, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148437/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9234

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Life Is Beautiful*](https://film.one/film/life-is-beautiful.md) (65)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Vincenzo Cerami was an Italian screenwriter, novelist and poet. Born in Rome in 1940, he died there in 2013. He studied under Pier Paolo Pasolini at middle school in Ciampino and later assisted on Pasolini’s films, including *Comizi d’amore* (1965) and *Uccellacci e uccellini* (1966).

Cerami wrote or co-wrote screenplays for more than 40 films from 1967 onwards. His first novel, *Un borghese piccolo piccolo* (1976), was adapted for the screen by Mario Monicelli in 1977. He maintained a long collaboration with Roberto Benigni, co-writing *Il piccolo diavolo* (1988), *Johnny Stecchino* (1991), *Il mostro* (1994), *La vita è bella* (*Life Is Beautiful*, 1997), *Pinocchio* (2002) and *La tigre e la neve* (2005).

Cerami and Benigni received an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay for *Life Is Beautiful*, which won the Oscar for best foreign language film. He was also nominated for a BAFTA and won several Italian awards, including David di Donatello and Silver Ribbon prizes for the film.

*Sources: independent.co.uk, theguardian.com, bbc.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Wrote (1)

- *Life Is Beautiful* (1997), Fi1m 65, Story, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/life-is-beautiful.md)

### Crew (1) — the average rests on these

- *The Gospel According to St. Matthew* (1965), Fi1m 88, Assistant Director Trainee — [page](https://film.one/film/the-gospel-according-to-st-matthew.md)

## Complete filmography (48)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Amorosa presenza* (2022), Writer
- *Adrian* (2019), series, Writers' Production
- *Belle du Seigneur* (2012), Screenplay
- *All at Sea* (2011), as Gianni · Writer
- *Rockpolitik* (2005), series, Author
- *The Tiger and the Snow* (2005), Writer
- *The Manual of Love* (2005), Story
- *A.A.A. Achille* (2003), Screenplay
- *The Legend of Princess Parva* (2003), Writer
- *Pinocchio* (2002), Screenplay, Story
- *Il nostro matrimonio è in crisi* (2002), Screenplay, Story
- *Viper* (2000), Story, Screenplay
- *La fame e la sete* (1999), Writer
- *Life Is Beautiful* (1997), Screenplay, Story — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/life-is-beautiful.md)
- *Freshwater Man* (1997), Screenplay, Story
- *TuttoBenigni 95/96* (1996), Writer, Idea, Story, Screenplay
- *The Monster* (1994), Screenplay
- *Benito: The Rise and Fall of Mussolini* (1994), series, Story
- *Johnny Stecchino* (1991), Screenplay, Story
- *The Voyage of Captain Fracassa* (1990), Story
- *Open Doors* (1990), Screenplay
- *Mortacci* (1989), Screenplay
- *Via Panisperna Boys* (1989), Writer, Idea, Script, Story, Screenplay
- *I cammelli* (1988), Writer
- *The Little Devil* (1988), Screenplay, Story
- *High Frequency* (1988), Writer
- *Stregati* (1986), Story, Screenplay
- *The Malady of Love* (1986), Screenplay, Story
- *Blame it on Paradise* (1985), Story, Screenplay
- *My Dearest Son* (1985), Screenplay
- *Pianoforte* (1985), Screenplay
- *Secrets Secrets* (1985), Screenplay
- *Blow to the Heart* (1982), Writer, Story
- *The Eyes, the Mouth* (1982), Writer
- *The Soup* (1981), Screenplay
- *A Leap in the Dark* (1980), Screenplay
- *Beach House* (1977), Screenplay
- *An Average Little Man* (1977), Novel, Story
- *Love Under the Elms* (1975), Writer
- *A Thousand and One Hands* (1972), Actor
- *Blindman* (1971), Screenplay
- *Forgotten Pistolero* (1969), Screenplay
- *Hate Is My God* (1969), Writer
- *The Silent Stranger* (1968), Writer
- *It Was Good to Love You* (1968), Writer
- *The Dirty Outlaws* (1967), Writer
- *The Hawks and the Sparrows* (1966), Assistant Director
- *The Gospel According to St. Matthew* (1965), Assistant Director Trainee — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-gospel-according-to-st-matthew.md)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1999: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Life Is Beautiful*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 2001: Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/vincenzo-cerami