14/06/2007

Giuseppe Tornatore has won the Best Film and Best Director David di Donatello Awards – Italy’s top film honours – for The Unknown [+see also:
trailer
film profile], whose leading lady Xenia Rappoport also walked away with the Best Actress prize. Best Actor went to Elio Germano for My Brother is an Only Child [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniele Luchetti
interview: Riccardo Tozzi
film profile] by Daniele Luchetti, who won the Best Screenplay award with Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia.

Best Debut Director was won by Kim Rossi Stuart for Along the Ridge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kim Rossi Stuart
film profile], while producer Donatella Botti picked up an award for Salty Air [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Angelini
film profile] and Florian Henckel von Donnermarck’s The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile] was voted Best European Film.

Michele Placido also took the stage during the awards ceremony in the Gran Teatro of Tor di Quinto. “Today,” said the actor-director, “the president received the Centoautori delegation, which presented him with a letter-appeal asking for support for culture and cinema, signed by 944 directors, technicians and actors. For the first time in a long time those of us in the cinema decided all together to reaffirm the idea that culture is the fundamental element of our country. Without art, cinema and music, you can die of sadness. Good night!"

(Translated from Italian)