Ginevra Elkann

Ginevra Elkann (born 24 September 1979) is a London-born Italian film producer and director, heiress and socialite. She is a member of the Agnelli family and granddaughter of Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli.{{cite news|last=Haskell|first=Rob|date=14 February 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/t-magazine/portrait-of-a-lady-ginevra-elkann.html|title=Portrait of a Lady|work=The New York Times|access-date=22 February 2023}}

Early life

Elkann was born in London, on 24 September 1979,{{cite web|last=Elward|first=Ronald|date=15 January 2010|url=http://heirsofeurope.blogspot.it/2010/01/gaetani-dellaquila-daragona.html|title=Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona|website=The Heirs of Europe|access-date=22 February 2023}}{{cite web|last=Dell'Arti|first=Giorgio|date=30 May 2012|url=http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerThread.php?threadId=ELKANN+Ginevra|url-status=dead|title=Biografia di Ginevra Elkann|website=Cinquantamila.it|language=it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619154347/http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerThread.php?threadId=ELKANN+Ginevra|archive-date=19 June 2015|access-date=22 February 2023}} the daughter of the Italian Margherita Agnelli and the French-Italian writer Alain Elkann.{{cite news|url=http://www.lesechos.fr/luxe/people/300226008-ginevra-elkann-raconte-des-histoires-a-la-pinacoteca.htm|url-status=dead|title=Ginevra Elkann raconte des histoires à la Pinacoteca|work=Les Echos|language=fr|date=14 December 2007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20101225035018/http://www.lesechos.fr/luxe/people/300226008-ginevra-elkann-raconte-des-histoires-a-la-pinacoteca.htm|archive-date=25 December 2010|access-date=22 February 2023}}{{cite magazine|last=Conti|first=Samantha|date=April 2009|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/society/2009/04/ginevra_elkann|url-status=dead|title=Ginevra Elkann – The Invisible Agnelli|magazine=W|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506172838/http://www.wmagazine.com/society/2009/04/ginevra_elkann|archivedate=6 May 2009|access-date=22 February 2023}} Her father is Jewish and her mother is Catholic, and she was raised Catholic.{{cite news|last=Simpson|first=Victor L.|date=4 December 2004|url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/120404/rel_1204040073.shtml|url-status=dead|title=Jewish and Italian: Celebrity writer celebrates his heritage|work=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507184325/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/120404/rel_1204040073.shtml|archive-date=7 May 2009|access-date=22 February 2023}}{{cite news|url=http://www1.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/societa/200904articoli/43151girata.asp|url-status=dead|title=Ginevra Elkann, matrimonio a Marrakesh|work=La Stampa|language=it|date=26 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429160311/http://www1.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/societa/200904articoli/43151girata.asp|archive-date=29 April 2009|access-date=22 February 2023}} Her maternal grandparents were princess and socialite Marella Agnelli and the industrialist Gianni Agnelli. She is the great-grandniece of Ettore Ovazza. She has two older brothers John Elkann, who is chairman of the Fiat group of companies, and Lapo Elkann.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2009/06/next-gen-portfolio200906|title=Photos: Portraits of 'Fortune's Childrens'|magazine=Vanity Fair|issue=June 2009|date=14 May 2009|issn=1723-6673|access-date=24 February 2023}} Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved first to Rio de Janeiro and then to Paris with her mother and stepfather, the Russian count Serge de Pahlen. She graduated at the American University of Paris.{{cite news|url=https://www.tag24.it/418535-ginevra-elkann-eta-marito-figli-biografia/|title=Ginevra Elkann età, marito, figli, biografia|website=Tag24|language=it|date=29 November 2022|access-date=22 February 2023}}

Career

Elkann worked as third assistant director on Bernardo Bertolucci's 1998 film L'assedio, and was video assistant on Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). She later studied filmmaking at the London Film School (LFS), where she achieved her master's degree. In 2005, her LFS graduation film, the nine-minute Vado a messa (I Am Going to Mass), was screened during a Cinema Schools special event at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival. Asked whether she had any particular subjects in mind for a feature-length film, she mentioned two: a thriller set in the world of synchronized swimming, and an adaptation of her father's story Piazza Carignano, which concerns a fascist Jew. It is inspired by the story of her father's side of the family, the influential Ovazza banking family, who were early allies and important financial patrons of Benito Mussolini and Italian fascism.{{cite news|last=Schiavazzi|first=Vera|date=4 September 2004|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2004/09/04/altra-famiglia-di-john-elkann-all.html|title=L'altra famiglia di John Elkann all'ombra delle sinagoghe|work=La Repubblica|language=it|access-date=22 February 2023}}

In 2009, Elkann founded production company Caspian Films, first producing Frontier Blues, her debut feature film by Iranian director and fellow LFS graduate Babak Jalali. This film was developed with support from the Cinéfondation of Cannes and premiered in competition at the 62nd Locarno Film Festival. She then produced other independent feature films such as White Shadow, directed by Noaz Deshe (2013), which won the Lion of the Future award at the 70th Venice International Film Festival; Chlorine, directed by Lamberto Sanfelice (2015), which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival; and again with Jalali on his third feature Land, which premiered in the Panorama section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.{{cite web|last=Bhatia|first=Anubhav|date=19 February 2018|url=https://www.desimartini.com/news/hollywood/ginevra-elkann-talks-about-her-directorial-debut-magari-article77092.htm|title=Ginevra Elkann Talks About Her Directorial Debut 'Magari'|website=DesiMartini|access-date=22 February 2023}}{{cite magazine|last=Rosser|first=Michael|date=25 May 2022|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/the-match-factory-boards-ginevra-elkanns-star-studded-i-told-you-so-exclusive/5171169.article|title=The Match Factory boards Ginevra Elkann's star-studded 'I Told You So' (exclusive)|magazine=Screen International|access-date=22 February 2023}}

In 2011, Elkann founded the production and distribution company Good Films,{{cite magazine|last=Medioal|first=Matteo|date=12 October 2012|url=https://www.italiaoggi.it/archivio/lapo-e-ginevra-elkann-soci-di-good-film-1793349|title=Lapo e Ginevra Elkann soci di Good Film|magazine=Italia Oggi|language=it|issue=243|page=12|access-date=22 February 2023}} together with Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Luigi Musini, and Lorenzo Mieli.{{cite web|url=http://www.goodfilms.it/about/|url-status=dead|title=About|publisher=Good Films|date=January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127032144/http://www.goodfilms.it/about/|archive-date=27 January 2014|access-date=22 February 2023}} In 2019, her debut feature film as a director Magari (If Only) had its world premiere as the opening film at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival.{{cite magazine|last=Barraclough|first=Leo|date=30 July 2019|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/ginevra-elkann-magari-locarno-film-festival-1203284598/|title=First Look: Trailer for Locarno Film Festival's Opening Film 'Magari']|magazine=Variety|access-date=22 February 2023}} Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, theatrical distribution of the film could not go ahead as programmed, so the film was made available on RaiPlay, the streaming platform of Italian national broadcaster RAI in May 2020.{{cite news|last=Pasetti|first=Anna Maria|date=20 May 2020|url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2020/05/20/coronavirus-otto-film-italiani-per-otto-settimane-su-rai-play-si-inizia-con-magari-racconto-intimo-e-disfunzionale-di-ginevra-elkann/5808120/|title=Coronavirus, otto film italiani per otto settimane su Rai Play. Si inizia con Magari, racconto intimo e disfunzionale di Ginevra Elkann|work=Il Fatto Quotidiano|language=it|access-date=22 February 2023}} It was nominated for the best first film in 2020 and best new director in 2021 to the Ciak d'oro.{{cite web|url=https://www.ciakmagazine.it/ciak-doro-2020-migliore-regista-esordiente/|url-status=dead|title=Ciak d'oro 2020 – Migliore regista esordiente|magazine=Ciak|language=it|date=4 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019204552/https://www.ciakmagazine.it/ciak-doro-2020-migliore-regista-esordiente/|archive-date=19 October 2020|access-date=22 February 2023}}

Personal life

Elkann married Count Giovanni Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona (b. 1973) in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 25 April 2009. She has two sons and a daughter with her husband; they were named Giacomo (b. 15 August 2009),{{cite news|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2009/08/18/cronaca/e-nato-il-figlio-di-ginevra-elkann-H1fjC5LVu1UykBaxlOTVjM/pagina.html|title=È nato il figlio di Ginevra Elkann|work=La Stampa|language=it|date=18 August 2009|access-date=22 February 2023}} Pietro (b. 31 October 2012),{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.it/people/italia/12/11/ginevra-elkann-pietro-figlio|title=È nato Pietro: fiocco azzurro per Ginevra Elkann|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=it|date=1 November 2012|access-date=22 February 2023}} and Marella (b. 27 May 2014).{{cite magazine|last=Agnelli|first=Marella|date=23 August 2014|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2014/09/marella-agnelli-the-last-swan|title=Becoming an Agnelli|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=22 February 2023}}

Filmography

= Director =

Vado a messa (2005) – short film
If Only (2019)
I Told You So (Te l’avevo detto) - 2023

= Producer =

Frontier Blues (2009), directed by Babak Jalali
Noche (2013) directed by Leonardo Brzezicki
White Shadow (2013), directed by Noaz Deshe
Chlorine (2015), directed by Lamberto Sanfelic
Arianna (2015), directed by Carlo Lavagna
Prova contraria (2016), directed by Chiara Agnello – documentary
Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno (2017), directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Land (2018), directed by Babak Jalali

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;

|1= 1. Ginevra Elkann

|2= 2. Alain Elkann

|3= 3. Margherita Agnelli

|4= 4. Jean-Paul Elkann

|5= 5. Carla Ovazza

|6= 6. Giovanni Agnelli

|7= 7. Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto

|8= 8. Armand Elkann

|9= 9. Berthe Bloch

|10= 10. Vittorio Ovazza

|11= 11. Olga Fubini

|12= 12. Edoardo Agnelli

|13= 13. Donna Virginia Bourbon del Monte

|14= 14. Filippo Caracciolo, 9th Prince of Castagneto, 3rd Duke of Melito

|15= 15. Margaret Clarke

|20= 20. Ernesto Ovazza

|21= 21. Celeste Malvano

|24= 24. Giovanni Agnelli

|25= 25. Clara Boselli

|26= 26. Carlo Bourbon del Monte, 4th Prince of San Faustino

|27= 27. Jane Allen Campbell

|28= 28. Nicola Caracciolo, 8th Prince of Castagneto, 2nd Duke of Melito

|29= 29. Meralda Mele Barese

|30= 30. Charles Corning Clarke

|31= 31. Alice Chandler

}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20060830053208/http://canali.libero.it/affaritaliani/Rubriche/FestivalCinema/ginevraelkannvenezia.html 2005 interview with Giovanni Bogani] at Affaritaliani.it {{in lang|it}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20101218133351/http://www.la7.it/invasionibarbariche/pvideo-stream?id=i352340 2010 interview on Le invasioni barbariche] at La7 {{in lang|it}}
[http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-3a3d4349-806d-452e-af66-bc1dc6d3a641.html#p=0 2011 Interview on Le Regine] at Rai3 {{in lang|it}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20210902070342/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPaFuW_pPQ0 2013 interview with Vogue Italia] at YouTube {{in lang|it}}
[http://www.allmovie.com/artist/p659999 Ginevra Elkann] at AllMovie {{in lang|en}}
[https://www.cinematografo.it/cast/ginevra-elkann-mk468s22 Ginevra Elkann] at CineDataBase by Rivista del cinematografo {{in lang|it}}
[https://www.filmportal.de/en/85c6324128fe48e58d533f555f585333 Ginevra Elkann] at Filmportal.de {{in lang|de|en}}
{{IMDb name|name=Ginevra Elkann|id=1096471}}
[https://archive.today/20130413121948/http://www.vogue.it/vogue-starscelebsmodels/voguette/2010/06/ginevra-elkann Ginevra Elkann] at Vogue Italia {{in lang|it}}