Lina Wertmüller Dead At 93, First Ever Female Oscar Nominee Filmmaker Cause of Death Explored

By Kate Hill

World-renowned Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller has reportedly passed away at 93-years old.

The Oscar-nominated director had once taken the world of cinema by storm during the 1970s due to her "politically charged" filmography. According to this article, the Culture of Italian Ministry confirmed the filmmaker's death on Thursday with a statement from Dario Franceschini, the Culture Minister himself.

"Italy mourns the passing of Lina Wertmüller, a director who, with her class and unmistakable style, left an everlasting mark on out and the world's cinema." the Minister's announcement stated.

Lina Wertmüller's Cause of Death

As of writing, no clear reports were saying what became the cause of her death.

However, Variety also reported that a close friend of the film director and writer informed the Italian media that she had died "peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones." Wertmüller's most well-known works include "Love and Anarchy," "The Seduction of Mimi," and "Swept Away."

The article mentioned that Wertmüller was the first-ever female director to be nominated for the Best Director category at the 1977 Academy Awards in the United States for her self-written film "Seven Beauties," which was released in 1975.

It wasn't until 2019 that the Italian director was finally acknowledged for her work and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars film academy where she had called out the organization and the Hollywood industry for their blatant favoritism towards male filmmakers in her acceptance speech.

Actress Isabella Rosellini translated Wertmüller's speech from Italian to English that night as the director said that "she would like to change the [award's] name [from] Oscar to Anna."

Lina Wertmüller's Career and Achievements

In the same year, aside from receiving the honorary Academy Award for her achievements and impact in the motion picture industry, the filmmaker was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The director's previous works during her peak in the 1970s had broken box office records in the U.S. for foreign films and paved the way for succeeding female awardees such as Kathryn Bigelow and Chloe Zhao, who were recognized for their works "The Hurt Locker" (2010) and "Nomadland," (2021) respectively.

"Really, there are two strands- two souls- which co-exist in my work: the lighthearted one associated with musical comedies and the more socially conscious one. They are both deeply part of my nature," the film creator once said when asked about her oeuvre during a 2019 interview with Variety.

A post shared by instagram

Lina Wertmüller's funeral is revealed to be held on Saturday in Rome, Italy, as the town's city hall was announced to host the legendary filmmaker's one-day wake the day before.

May her soul rest in peace.