Giuseppe Ferrara studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, before turning to film criticism. After collaborating with Cesare Zavattini, in 1969 he founded the Cine2000 cooperative, for which he produced political enquiry films that both the film industry and political powers blacklisted. His directorial debut film was Il sasso in bocca (1970) about the Mafia, followed by the controversial Il caso Moro (1986), Giovanni Falcone (1993), and I banchieri di Dio (2002). He currently teaches at the School of Education, University of Perugia.
