Marina Cicogna

Cicogna was born in Rome and grew up in Milan, Venice, and Cortina. She was the daughter of a banker, and her grandfather was Giuseppe Volpi, an influential figure in Italy's history; one of the country's richest men, he held many government posts and founded the Venice Film Festival.[1][2]

Cicogna attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York, staying less than a year.[2] While there, she befriended the daughter of actor Jack Warner; this connection facilitated Cicogna's introduction to other actors in Hollywood. She studied photography at another school in the United States, and took pictures of Hollywood friends including Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo.[1] The black and white photographs were later published in a book.[3]

For 20 years her life partner was the actress Florinda Bolkan.[1]

At the age of 32, Cicogna decided to pursue a career in the film industry. Her mother bought a share in a film distribution company, and Cicogna suggested films for the business to purchase.[2] She distributed the West German film Helga, which she describes as the first time a birth was shown on screen. She publicized it by placing "ambulances at the exit of the film, saying that people would faint when they saw that".[1]

The New York Times describes her as "the first major female Italian film producer" and "one of the most powerful women in European cinema".[1] One of her film's, Belle de Jour, won the Golden Lion at the 1967 Venice Film Festival.[1] She also produced such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and Brother Sun, Sister Moon.[1][3]

Her interest in photography led to the publication of two books, one of them displaying images of her family's 18th-century home in Tripoli.[1]

• Marina Cicogna on IMDb