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DAVID DI DONATELLO 2021

Hidden Away triumphs at the David di Donatello awards

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- Giorgio Diritti’s film walked away with seven trophies, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor, while Sophia Loren was crowned Best Actress and Pietro Castellitto Best Emerging Director

Hidden Away triumphs at the David di Donatello awards
Elio Germano of Hidden Away with his David di Donatello award for Best Actor

Hidden Away [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giorgio Diritti
film profile
]
is the champion of the 66th edition of the David di Donatello awards, following on from last night’s ceremony rewarding the best of Italian cinema. The event saw nominees from all categories attending the event in person, as opposed to last year’s virtual edition, with the ceremony unfolding in two separate venues: RAI’s television studios and Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera. Giorgio Diritti’s movie about the painter Antonio Ligabue scooped seven Davids out of 15 nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Elio Germano), Best Set Design, Cinematography, Hair Design and Sound. “Let us remember Ligabue when we see a homeless person painting the Madonna”, the director insisted during his acceptance speech. “Let us remember the importance of all men and uphold that principle for as long as we can and in every way that we can”.

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The other big favourite, Gianni Amelio’s Hammamet [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(14 nominations), ended up walking away with just one award to its name - that for Best Make-Up - while Bad Tales [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo
film profile
]
by Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo (13 nominations) suffered a similar fate, winning just one David for Best Editor. Things went better for Miss Marx [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile
]
and Rose Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which saw three of their 11 nominations translate into trophies: Susanna Nicchiarelli’s work won Best Costumes, Best Composer and Best Producer, while the latter, directed by Sydney Sibilia, triumphed in the Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories (Matilda De Angelis and Fabrizio Bentivoglio), as well as in visual effects.

Heart-tugging moments included the presentation of the Best Actress David to Sophia Loren for her part in her son Edoardo Ponti’s film The Life Ahead [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(“Maybe this will be my last film, but I do still want to make another one because I couldn’t live without film”, admitted the emotional movie icon who’s now 86), and the David for Best Original Screenplay, which was awarded to Figli [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
directed by the much adored Mattia Torre, who died before his time in 2019. The trophy was accepted by his 12-year-old daughter Emma (“I’d like to congratulate my father who managed to win this prize even though he’s not here anymore. Well done, Dad”).

Well worth a final mention is the David for Best Emerging Director, which went to Pietro Castellitto (The Predators [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Castellitto
film profile
]
), that for Best Documentary which was awarded to Alex Infascelli’s My Name Is Francesco Totti [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, and, in a huge twist, the David for Best Song which was won by Luca Medici, aka Checco Zalone, whose track “Immigrato” (from Tolo Tolo [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) triumphed over Laura Pausini and her song “Io sì” (from The Life Ahead), which recently won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

The full list of 2021 David di Donatello winners is as follows:

Best Film
Hidden Away [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giorgio Diritti
film profile
]
– Giorgio Diritti

Best Director
Giorgio Diritti – Hidden Away

Best Emerging Director
Pietro Castellitto – The Predators [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Castellitto
film profile
]

Best Original Screenplay
Mattia Torre – Figli [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]

Best Adapted Screenplay
Marco Pettenello, Gianni Di Gregorio – Citizens of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Italy/France)

Best Producer
Miss Marx [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile
]
Vivo Film with RAI Cinema, Tarantula Belgique

Best Actress
Sophia Loren – The Life Ahead [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Italy/USA)

Best Actor
Elio Germano – Hidden Away

Best Supporting Actress
Matilda De Angelis – Rose Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 

Best Supporting Actor
Fabrizio Bentivoglio – Rose Island  

Best Director of Photography
Matteo Cocco – Hidden Away

Best Composer
Gatto Ciliegia contro il grande freddo - Miss Marx [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile
]
 (Italy/Belgium)

Best Original Song
“Immigrato” by Luca Medici - Tolo Tolo [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]

Best Set Design
Hidden Away - Ludovica Ferrario, Alessandra Mura, Paola Zamagni

Best Costumes
Massimo Cantini Parrini - Miss Marx

Best Make-Up
Luigi Ciminelli, Andrea Leanza, Federica Castelli - Hammamet [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 

Best Hair Design
Aldo Signoretti – Hidden Away

Best Editor
Esmeralda Calabria – Bad Tales [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo
film profile
]
(Italy/Switzerland)

Best Sound
Hidden Away

Best Visual Effects
Rose Island – Stefano Leoni, Elisabetta Rocca

Best Documentary
My Name Is Francesco Totti [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Alex Infascelli

Best Foreign Film
1917 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Sam Mendes (UK/USA)

Best Short Film
Anne - Domenico Croce, Stefano Malchiodi

Young People’s Award
18 Presents [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Francesco Amato

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sandra Milo

Special Awards
Monica Bellucci
Diego Abatantuono

Audience Award
Tolo Tolo

David di Donatello 2021 Honorary Award
Awarded to healthcare professionals Silvia Angeletti, Ivanna Legkar and Stefano Marongiu

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(Translated from Italian)

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