{{Short description|Italian filmmaker and cartoonist (born 1977)}} {{Infobox person | image = Alessandro Rak 2013 Friuli Future Forum.png | caption = Rak in 2013 | pronunciation = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age text|22 December 1977}} | birth_place = Naples, Italy | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Film director <br />Cartoonist }}
'''Alessandro Rak''' (born 22 December 1977), also known just as '''Rak''', is an Italian film director, screenwriter, cartoonist and animator.
== Life and career == Born in Naples, Rak studied animation at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.<ref name="Stampa">{{cite news |last1=Tammaro |first1=Gianmaria |title=“L'arte della felicità”: dieci anni fa, al cinema, il film diretto da Alessandro Rak. Che cosa è cambiato da allora e come sta, oggi, l'animazione italiana |url=https://www.lastampa.it/spettacoli/cinema/2023/11/20/news/larte_della_felicita_dieci_anni_fa_al_cinema_il_film_diretto_da_alessandro_rak_che_cosa_e_cambiato_da_allora_e_come_s-13875236/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=La Stampa |date=20 November 2023 |language=it}}</ref><ref name="Ambasciator">{{cite news |last1=Della Ragione |first1=Antonio |title=Alessandro Rak e "L'arte della felicità" |url=https://www.ambasciator.it/alessandro-rak-e-larte-della-felicita/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=Ambasciator |date=10 July 2024 |language=it-IT}}</ref> His graduation animated short, ''Looking Death Window'', won several international prizes.<ref name="rep">{{cite news |last1=Urbani |first1=Ilaria |title=Alessandro Rak, l'artista animato |url=https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/04/08/news/alessandro_rak_l_artista_animato-32969441/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=la Repubblica |date=8 April 2012 |language=it}}</ref> Returned in his hometown, in 2001, he founded with Andrea Scoppetta the animation studio Rak&Scop.<ref name="rep" /><ref name="Ambasciator" /> After collaborating to several music videos and creating the comic series ''Ark'' and ''Zero or One'', in 2007 he had his breakout with the comic series ''A Skeleton Story'', co-created with Scopetta.<ref name="rep" />
In 2013, Rak made his directorial feature debut with ''The Art of Happiness'', which premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival and won the award for best animated film at the 27th European Film Awards.<ref name="Stampa" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Scott Roxborough|title=Polish 'Ida' Wins Big at European Film Awards|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/polish-ida-wins-big-at-757469|accessdate=3 August 2025|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=13 December 2014}}</ref> His following film ''Cinderella the Cat'', a loose adaptation of the Giambattista Basile's fable of the same name and on Roberto De Simone's musical ''La Gatta Cenerentola'', premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, in the Horizons sidebar.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weissberg |first1=Jay |title=Film Review: 'Cinderella the Cat' |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/cinderella-the-cat-review-1202549504/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=Variety |date=8 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=van Hoeij |first1=Boyd |title='Cinderella the Cat' ('Gatta Cenerentola'): Film Review {{!}} Venice 2017 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/cinderella-cat-gatta-cenerentola-1037562/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=11 September 2017}}</ref> His third feature, ''Yaya e Lennie – The Walking Liberty'', had its world premiere at the 74th Locarno Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news |last1=De Marco |first1=Camillo |title=Review: Yaya e Lennie – The Walking Liberty |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/412768/#cm |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=Cineuropa |date=4 November 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
==Filmography==
*''The Art of Happiness'' (2013) * ''Cinderella the Cat'' (2017) * ''Yaya e Lennie – The Walking Liberty'' (2021) ==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rak, Alessandro}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Naples Category:Italian film directors Category:Italian screenwriters Category:Italian film producers Category:Italian comics artists Category:Italian comics writers Category:Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni Category:Directors of Best Animated Feature Film European Film Award winners