Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. She belongs to a generation of Italian filmmakers from
Emilia-Romagna that came into prominence in the 1970s, including
Bernardo Bertolucci,
Pier Paolo Pasolini and
Marco Bellocchio. Cavani became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature film
Il portiere di notte (
The Night Porter). Her films are intellectual and have historical concerns. In addition to feature films and documentaries, she has also directed opera.