EXCLUSIVE: Paolo Sorrentino has begun production on his documentary about the renowned Italian football player and manager Carlo Ancelotti, which is being produced in collaboration with The Apartment. FilmNation is selling worldwide rights excluding Italy and has begun talks in Cannes.
The untitled project will offer a glimpse into the private life of Ancelotti, who manages the Brazilian national team that is preparing to compete in next month’s World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Sorrentino, who earned an Oscar nomination in 2022 for his semi-biographical football-related The Hand Of God, has been quietly filming in Brazil and will follow Ancelotti and the team to the World Cup, before continuing the shoot in Italy in autumn.
As a player Ancelotti plied his trade at Italian champions AC Milan, Roma and the Italian national team. He achieved greater fame through his managerial career, earning league titles with AC Milan in Italy, Chelsea in England, and Real Madrid in Spain, and winning the Champions League twice with AC Milan and three times with Real Madrid.
Besides the playing and managerial accolades, the film will focus on what is described as “a more intimate story of human connection, humility, and fierce intuition”.
Untitled Carlo Ancelotti is being produced by Francesco Melzi d’Eril for MDE Films, Chloe McClay, Celia Babini and Buck Andrews at Tart Productions, and Gabriele Moratti for MeMo Films. Eric Beard serves as executive producer in association with Where is Football.
Ancelotti said, “It’s an honour to tell my story alongside the great Paolo Sorrentino. I’ve always admired his masterpieces and his commitment to artful storytelling.”
Sorrentino added, “In a completely free-form style, Carlo is the sentimental, emotional, and sporting story of one of the most influential figures in modern football. From the fog of the Po Valley to the sunshine of Brazil, this charismatic and witty man has experienced it all.”
The Italian director’sThe Great Beauty won the foreign language Oscar in 2014. His last film La Grazia premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
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