Michael Cimino

Michael Cimino (b. 1939, New York) studied art, architecture, and art history. Although he first worked in advertising, in 1971 he moved to Los Angeles to begin a career as a screenwriter. Thanks to Clint Eastwood he gave his debut with the crime comedy Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974). The solid success of this debut helped Cimino put through the first of his purely authorial projects, the legendary The Deer Hunter (1978). Its popular and critical success was crowned by the conferral of five Academy Awards, two for the filmmaker himself (direction and picture). After Heaven’s Gate, one of the saddest chapters in the history of American moviemaking, Cimino was unable to resuscitate his career in a manner commensurate with his talent. Later pictures include Year of the Dragon (1985), The Sicilian (1987), the Bogart remake Desperate Hours (1990), and the crime film The Sunchaser (1996).

48. MFF Karlovy Vary