02/09/2002 - Europe’s filmmakers take home numerous awards from Montreal, including the prestigious Gran Prix des Amériques for Cristina Comencini’s Il più bel giorno della mia vita

The European film industry performed exceptionally well at the 25th edition of the Festival des Film du Monde that wound down in Montreal, Canada on September 2. Italy’s Cristina Comencini won the Grand Prix des Amériques for Il più bel giorno della mia vita with best director going to French actress, Sophie Marceau’s directorial debut, Parlez-moi d'amour.
The international jury presided over by Iranian director Majid Majidi, gave Spain’s Carlos Saura an award for the best artistic contribution to a film for Salomé. Maria Bonnevie shared the best actress award with Leila Hatami for, respectively, Je suis Dina by Ole Bornedal and La gare abandonnée by Alireza Raisian. The best screenplay nod went to Diego Arsuaga for El ultimo tren.
This has to be one of the “best” days of Cristina Comencini’s life. The Italian director won the Grand Prix des Amériques for Il più bel giorno della mia vita and will bring this important prize back to Italy after a 22-year absence (Carlo Lizzani won in 1980 with Fontanamara).
“I am delighted for this film,” she said on hearingm she had won. “Montreal is important because it’s a gateway for Italian films to French-speaking countries, and importantly, for North America.”
This opens up a whole new vista for contemporary Italian films. They may not be as focused on portraying tough social issues as the films of an earlier generation of Italian directors, but tend to explore family life and in doing this, discover a whole new way of portraying reality.
For the moment, Il più bel giorno della mia vita has been sold in Belgium, a deal has been struck with Spain and negotiations are underway with France: the film will be screened in Paris during a review of contemporary Italian cinema on 19 September.
“Our generation of filmmakers is more aware of the inner transformation people undergo and how this affects the way our society is evolving. We make films about friendship, love and the sentiments and we make them well. It’s a shame that our films get such a limited distribution. I think Italian films deserve to be seen abroad much more.”
An international jury presided over by Iranian director, Majid Majidi, chose to give this award to Comencini and her victory may well compensate her for not having been selected for the last edition of Cannes. “The French festival has a complicated relationship with Italy,” said Comencini, who is currently in Germany, on the location of her latest film that features international as well as Italian actors and is produced by Cattleya. “Cannes prefers affirmed filmmakers. That means I have to make a name for myself abroad before going to Cannes.”

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