Francesco Stefani (January 23, 1923 - November 11, 1989) was a German film director of Italian descent who was born in Offenburg and died in Munich. Stefani lived in the Federal Republic of Germany and worked in the 1950s, mainly at children's film productions. He became famous with the film The Singing Ringing Tree, for which he led as a guest at the DEFA (GDR) Director. In 1980 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, in 1983 the Bavarian Order of Merit.