Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is an American and Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor, who also holds a Master of Arts degree from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He made his directorial debut with Who's That Knocking at My Door, which was accepted into the Chicago Film Festival. His films, much influenced by his Italian-American background and upbringing in New York City, often explore themes of crime, machismo, nihilism, and Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption. Scorsese's trademarks include extensive use of slow motion and freeze frames, graphic depictions of extreme violence, and liberal use of profanity.

Throughout his career, Scorsese has received numerous awards, including an Academy Award, and his work has been recognized and preserved by the Library of Congress. He has collaborated extensively with actors such as Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, producing acclaimed films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. Additionally, he has made significant contributions to television, directing episodes for series like "Boardwalk Empire" and "Vinyl," and has created several rock music documentaries. He has also received acclaim for his work in film preservation and restoration, having founded three nonprofit organizations: The Film Foundation, the World Cinema Foundation, and the African Film Heritage Project.

Scorsese's work extends beyond directing, as he has also acted as an executive producer for various projects and shown a keen interest in the art of film restoration. His Film Foundation has collaborated with film studios to restore over 800 films from around the world, and he launched the World Cinema Project to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions that lack the resources to preserve their own cinema history. His African Film Heritage Project is a joint initiative to locate and preserve classic African films. Scorsese's advocacy for film preservation was recognized with the Robert Osborne Award at the 2018 TCM Film Festival.

Scorsese's influence and contributions have been recognized by the international film community. He has received the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and was selected for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities. Furthermore, his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Most recently, Scorsese directed the crime thriller Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023, marking his tenth collaboration with Robert De Niro and sixth with Leonardo DiCaprio. Killers of the Flower Moon has received many nominations at the Golden Globes and The Academy Awards in 2024, including Best Picture and Directing. He is set to direct a biopic feature about rock band the Grateful Dead for Apple Studios featuring Jonah Hill, and is considering a new film about Jesus after meeting with Pope Francis. Additionally, Scorsese and film editor Thelma Schoonmaker are working on a documentary on British filmmakers Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell.