ROME – Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo, who directed the black-and-white classic “The Battle of Algiers,” has died in Rome at age 86, hospital officials said Friday.
Pontecorvo died Thursday night, said hospital spokesman Nicola Cerbino. The cause of the death was not given.
Pontecorvo directed only a handful of feature movies in a career that spanned decades, earning the nickname of “lazy director.” But he remained involved in the world of cinema, directing documentaries and heading the Venice Film Festival.
It was “The Battles of Algiers” that made his name.
The 1966 epic depicts the Algerian uprising against the French in the 1950s in a documentary style, with a cast of mostly untrained actors. The film was banned in France for years.
The film won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film festival, as well as Oscar nominations for best director, best screenplay and best foreign film.
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