Francesco Bruni, born in Rome, started his career as a screenwriter in 1991. In 2011, Bruni made his directorial debut with Scialla!, winning the David di Donatello and Nastro d’argento awards as Best New Director. He teaches screenwriting at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome.
Regarding his film, written while recovering from a bone marrow transplant, he stated: “I was hospitalized for a month then I spent a few weeks at home in an empty room, in plastic. I soon realized that I couldn't just put this thing in the film. I began to understand that I could write for the big screen if I distanced myself from the protagonist, creating characters other than those I had around me and a few more problems to resolve”.