4 months ago
“The Eight Mountains,” Belgian board Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language play astir friendship, mountains and increasing up, scored nan apical prize astatine Italy’s 68th David di Donatello Awards.
Besides winning champion picture, nan movie besides scooped statuettes for champion non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Given that nan board are not Italian, it was a peculiarly important triumph for “Mountains,” which was praised arsenic “quietly magnificent” by Variety critic Jessica Kiang. The film, which is presently playing good connected nan U.S. arthouse circuit, tracks nan decades-long relationship betwixt 2 Italian boys named Pietro and Bruno — 1 from nan city, nan different a shepherd boy from nan Alps.
“It’s beautiful incredible,” commented a visibly moved Van Groeningen. “Two Belgians who triumph this prize successful Italy for an Italian movie.” “Thank you for this declaration of love,” added Vandermeersch, his partner successful life. “We emotion Italy very much. This is truthful beautiful.”
The “Eight Mountains” triumph was not a cleanable expanse astatine Italy’s apical movie prizes.
Veteran auteur Marco Bellocchio’s “Exterior Night,” a constricted TV bid astir nan 1978 kidnapping and assassination of erstwhile Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by Red Brigades – that played successful Italian cinemas earlier airing connected TV – scored a David for Bellocchio, who won champion director. And “Exterior Night” besides took nan grant for character that went to Fabrizio Gifuni, who plays Moro, positive statuettes for editor Francesca Calvelli and dress up creator Enrico Iacoponi.
“When you scope a definite property you go wise,” Bellocchio said. “The important point is to support working, to make beautiful things. To not enactment idle. I dream I still person immoderate clip to make immoderate much beautiful things,” he added. Bellocchio, who is 83, will soon beryllium successful Cannes pinch nan play “Kidnapped,” inspired by nan communicative of Edgardo Mortara, nan Jewish kid who successful 1858 was removed from his family to beryllium raised arsenic a Catholic successful nan custody of Pope Pius IX.
Roberto Andò’s “La Stranezza” (“Strangeness”), a tragicomic play portion astir really Pirandello recovered inspiration to constitute his masterpiece “Six Characters successful Search of an Author,” won prizes for champion producer, screenplay and group design.
Ensemble drama “Settembre,” nan first characteristic movie directed by actor-screenwriter Giulia Louise Steigerwalt – who is simply a UCLA grad – was a definite standout, scoring a David for directorial debut for Steigerwalt and nan champion character prize for Barbara Ronchi. The movie intertwines 3 stories astir existential anxieties crossed different generations that return spot successful September and harvester light-heartedness and melancholy.
Special Davids went to Isabella Rossellini, who was handed her David by Matt Dillon, and head Enrico Vanzina, a seasoned Italian deed comedies specialist. The profession grant went to Marina Cicogna, Italy’s first awesome female movie producer, who successful nan exclusively antheral milieu of Italian and European movie successful nan precocious 1960s shepherded films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Liliana Cavani and Elio Petri.
“When I started retired arsenic a shaper I was nan only women successful this field. I didn’t deliberation it was a large deal, but men surely didn’t thief maine retired much,” she said.
The Davids were held astatine Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, which are undergoing a extremist renewal acknowledgment to a $300 cardinal rate injection allocated by nan EU’s post-pandemic betterment fund.
Though Italy’s movie manufacture is prolific, nan country’s container agency is still sagging. In 2022, nan state tallied a measly 44.5 cardinal admissions, which reps a 48% driblet compared pinch its mean pre-pandemic level and is beneath theatrical moviegoing betterment rates for France, Germany, Spain and nan U.K.
During nan Davids ceremony, Italian Deputy Culture Minister Lucia Bergonzoni pledged a €20 cardinal ($22 million) authorities finance that will beforehand moviegoing by financing a run nether which tickets will costs half-price for a constricted time.
See nan complete database of 2023 David Awards winners below.
PICTURE
“The Eight Mountains,” Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch
DIRECTOR
Marco Bellocchio, “Exterior Night”
DEBUT DIRECTOR
“September,” Giulia Louise Steigerwalt
PRODUCER
“Strangeness,” Angelo Barbagallo, Bibi Film; Attilio De Razza, Tramp Limited, pinch Medusa and RAI Cinema
ACTRESS
Barbara Ronchi, “Settembre”
ACTOR
Fabrizio Gifuni, “Exterior Night”
SUPPORTING ACTRES
Emanuela Fanelli, “Siccità”
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Francesco Di Leva, “Nostalgia”
SCREENPLAY
Roberto Andò, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudioso, “Strangeness”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersh “The Eight Mountains”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ruben Impens, “The Eight Mountains”
EDITING
Francesca Calvelli, pinch collaboration of Claudio Misantoni, “Exterior Night”
DOCUMENTARY
“Il Cerchio,” Sophie Chiarello
SCORE
Stefano Bollani, “Il Pataffio”
ORIGINAL SONG
“Proiettili,” Music by Joan Thiele, Elisa Toffoli, Emanuele Triglia. Performed by Elodie, Joan Thiele – “Ti Mangio il Cuore”
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Giada Calabria, Loredana Raffi – “Strangeness”
COSTUME DESIGN
Maria Rita Barbera, “Strangeness”
MAKEUP ARTIST
Diego Prestopino, Emanuele De Luca, Davide De Luca, “Freaks Out”
HAIR ARTIST
Desiree Corridoni, “Caravaggio’s Shadow”
SOUND
Alessandro Palmerini, Alessandro Feletti, Marco Falloni — “The Eight Mountains”
DIGITAL EFFECTS
Marco Geracitano, “Siccità”
AUDIENCE AWARD
“Il grande giorno,” Massimo Venier
DAVID YOUTH AUDIENCE AWARD
“Caravaggio’s Shadow,” Michele Placido
BEST SHORT
“Le variabili dipendenti,” Lorenzo Tardella
BEST FOREIGN FILM
“The Fabelemans,” Steven Spielberg
CAREER DAVID
Marina Cicogna
SPECIAL DAVID
Isabella Rossellini
SPECIAL DAVID
Enrico Vanzina
