His generosity, his passion and his humor will be missed by the cinema industry. Lorenzo Soria died "peacefully" at his home in Los Angeles on Friday after a battle of several years against cancer, indicates the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) of which he was the president.
Born in 1951 in Argentina, where his Jewish parents had taken refuge to escape the Nazis, Lorenzo Soria grew up, studied and took his first steps in journalism in Milan. He wrote in particular for Espresso . In 1982, he arrived in Los Angeles, still working for the Italian weekly as well as for the daily La Stampa . Seven years later, he became a member of the HFPA, the organization that rewards the best of television and film at the famous Golden Globes.
Read also: The Golden Globes postponed to February 28, 2021 due to the pandemic
He gradually rose in rank and joined the administration of the group for twenty-five years, of which he became chairman three times, in 2003, 2015 and 2019.
He transformed the Golden Globes
During his tenure, he was the face of the organization, presenting the Golden Globes ceremony and revealing the nominees on several occasions.
Attentive to the societal changes of his time, Lorenzo Soria has helped change the Golden Globes. At the ceremony last January, the menu offered to guests was 100% vegetarian and water was only served in glass containers. A first for a major Hollywood show.
His presidency has above all enabled the association to seal agreements with the film festivals of Venice and Toronto, in order to support international filmmakers visiting Los Angeles. And to develop the charitable commitment of the group, in particular by donating 4 million dollars per year to film associations or universities, as the Italian daily La Repubblica emphasizes .
The man has shown that the entertainment industry is not all about show and appearance but that it can highlight certain injustices and evolve in accordance with the times.
The world of cinema pays tribute to him
His profession as a journalist led him to deal with political or technological subjects, but as a lover of the 7th art, Lorenzo Soria appreciated more than anything interviews with film giants.
His death moved Hollywood, from Sharon Stone who remembers on Twitter a "funny, compassionate, wonderful compatriot" , to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who emphasizes his intelligence and his humor: "I always joked with him saying that I I was jealous that he could be President and that I couldn't. ”
Lorenzo Soria was highly regarded in the harshest circles of Hollywood. Passionate about cinema, he had interviewed many actors. Twitter capture Arnold Schwarzenegger
On Instagram, the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera describes him as “a magnificent, kind, helpful, generous person. Rare, infrequent qualities, especially in the environment to which it belonged ”.
The announcement of the death of Lorenzo Soria, however, comes at a time when the powerful association of the foreign press which awards the Golden Globes is contested. Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa filed a complaint last week complaining that the co-opted jury members "do not want to share the enormous economic benefits they enjoy."
The 78th Golden Globes ceremony, postponed to February 28, 2021 instead of January, due to the coronavirus, will certainly pay him a nice tribute.
