Charlie Chaplin (UK, 1889-Switzerland, 1977) is one of cinema's mythical figures, while the character he played so often has become an icon. After a childhood in Dickensian London and early work on the stage, he moved to Hollywood, where he was able to express his rich talent to the maximum, becoming the undisputed master of the burlesque genre in its golden age. His best-known feature films, including City Lights (1931), Modem Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940), combine comedy with social and political comment. With the advent of sound, Chaplin put away his baggy trousers, walking stick, broken-down shoes and bowler hat and set about developing ambitious dramas. But during the Cold War period his free lifestyle and left-wing political affiliations obliged him to leave the USA. While his latter, European films, Monsieur Verdoux (1947) and Limelight (1952), did not have the same popular success as his earlier work, they remain major masterpieces.

«Clint Eastwood (USA, b. 1930) is a veteran among the grand masters of contemporary American cinema, whose rise through the system took a highly unusual form. After playing iconic roles in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 1960's, he returned to Hollywood and underwent a controversial reincarnation as the ultraviolent cop Harry. In the 1970's Eastwood began to direct and, in the style of the great directors of the past, made masterpieces in genres ranging from the western («Unforgiven», 1992) to film noir («Mystic River», 2003), a war epic («Letters from Iwo Jima», 2006), a jazz bio-pic («Bird», 1988), a melodrama («The Bridges of Madison County», 1995) and a sports picture («Million Dollar Baby», 2004). His most recent film, «Invictus», takes Eastwood to South Africa and the historic figure of Nelson Mandela, as he continues to explore the question underlying all his films: can human beings overcome experiences of violence and evil?»

«Steven Spielberg (USA, born 1946) was the boy wonder of the new Hollywood of the 1970's. Taking Orson Welles as his model, he made Duel aged only 25, following it up with a string of successes that brought him the adulation of the studios. As a fan of special effects, and entirely attuned to the shift towards younger film audiences, he took entertainment to new heights with films such as «Jaws» (1975), «Close Encounters of the Third Kind» (1977), «ET» (1982) and «Jurassic Park» (1993). His more recent incursions into science fiction («AI», 2001; «Minority Report», 2002; and, «War of the Worlds», 2005) and historical films («Schindler's List», 1993; «Saving Private Ryan», 1998; and «Munich», 2005) have brought him international critical recognition. He is also involved in production through his studio Dreamworks and is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in contemporary film.»

«Martin Scorsese (USA, b. 1942) is among the most prolific of American directors, having made more than 25 features in a 40-year career that has seen him garner all the highest honours the film world can bestow. Since the success of «Taxi Driver» in 1976, which also marked the start of his long collaboration with Robert De Niro, he has continued to draw endless inspiration from his Italian-American roots in films such as «Goodfellas» (1990) and «Casino» (1995). A cinephile director with a strong spirit of independence, he has managed to combine making blockbusters such as «Aviator» (2004), «The Departed» (2006) and «Shutter Island» (2010) with more personal films on the history of cinema («A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies», 1995) and music («Bob Dylan» and «The Rolling Stones»). He is also admired and respected throughout the world for the tireless work of his Film Foundation in preserving America's film heritage.»