This production company initially produced short and documentary films,[2] and would later be renamed to Cristaldifilm in the 1980s.

During his long career, he worked with directors and screenwriters such as Francesco Rosi, Pietro Germi, Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, and Giuseppe Tornatore.

Cristaldi was born in Turin in 1924 and studied at university for a time before focusing his interests on cinema.

[4] He applied to the Vatican to have this marriage annulled, and from 1966 lived with actress Claudia Cardinale.

[6] In 1983, he married Eritrean actress Zeudi Araya, who starred in several Cristaldi-produced films.