Legendary Italian movie director received an oscar in 2019.

Lina Wertmüller, one of Italy's greatest film directors and screen-writers, died in Rome on Wednesday night aged 93.

The news was announced on Thursday by a family friend, as reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Born in Rome in 1928, Wertmüller was best known for her films such as The Seduction of Mimi, Love and Anarchy, Swept Away and Seven Beauties, for which she became the first female director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director in 1977.

In 2019 Wertmüller was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award, becoming the third woman to receive an Oscar for her work as a director.

Cinema, il ministro @dariofrance: «L’Italia piange la scomparsa di Lina Wertmüller, regista che con classe e stile inconfondibile ha lasciato un segno perenne nella nostra cinematografia e in quella mondiale». https://t.co/ZZMiZYUq4z #LinaWertmuller #Wertmuller #MiC pic.twitter.com/vmK4c49CZU

— Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) December 9, 2021