11/05/2023 - Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersh’s movie also won screenplay and photography prizes, while Marco Bellocchio bagged Best Director for Exterior Night

Charlotte Vandermeersh and Felix Van Groeningen with one of their David di Donatello for The Eight Mountains (© Luca Dammicco/Accademia del Cinema Italiano - Premi David di Donatello)

This year’s best Italian film is a European co-production directed by two Belgians, as declared by the Italian Film Academy who awarded The Eight Mountains [+see also:
film review
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interview: Felix van Groeningen & Char…
film profile] by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersh the nation’s most prestigious film prize during the 68th David di Donatello awards ceremony, which took place in Cinecittà’s Lumina Studios last night. “Our film is a love-fuelled marriage between Italy and Belgium, a testimony of the power of a collaboration which transcends borders. Together we are European, we are citizens of the world”, Van Groeningen and Vandermeersh enthused, visibly moved, as they accepted their prize. Based on Paolo Cognetti’s bestseller, the film also won the David for Best Adapted Screenplay, for Photography and for Sound.

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The unstoppable Marco Bellocchio, who’s looking forward to “having more time to do wonderful things” and who’s set to compete in Cannes with his movie Kidnapped [+see also:
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film profile] in a few days time, scooped the David for Best Director (his seventh out of 25 nominations) for Exterior Night [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Marco Bellocchio
series profile], the miniseries which was released in cinemas in two parts and which also resulted in a Best Actor David for Fabrizio Gifuni, as well as racking up awards for Best Make-Up and Editing. The other star film of the night was this season’s box office champion Strangeness [+see also:
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film profile] by Roberto Andò, which took home the titles of Best Original Screenplay, Best Producer, Best Set Design and Best Costumes.

Best New Director, for its part, went to Giulia Louise Steigerwalt via Settembre [+see also:
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trailer
film profile], whose producer Matteo Rovere was overwhelmed with emotion last night, and which also earned a Best Actress award for Barbara Ronchi. The evening’s Best Supporting Actors were Emanuela Fanelli for Dry [+see also:
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film profile] (with Paolo Virzì’s film also bagging Best Visual Effects) and Francesco Di Leva for Nostalgia [+see also:
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interview: Mario Martone
interview: Pierfrancesco Favino
film profile].

Equally noteworthy was the Young People’s David awarded to Caravaggio’s Shadow [+see also:
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film profile] by Michele Placido and the Best Documentary David won by Sophie Chiarello’s Il cerchio [+see also:
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film profile].

Closing the event, the chair and artistic director of the Italian Film Academy – David di Donatello Awards Piera Detassis reminded attendees that all of the David award-winners are set to be re-screened over the summer in various open-air spaces, as part of a wider campaign proposed by the government (and backed by 20 million euros) to promote cinema-going. This initiative will allow audiences to see Italian and international films on the big screen between 16 June and 16 September, for a discounted price of €3.50.

The winners of the 68th edition of the David di Donatello Awards are as follows:

Best Film
The Eight Mountains [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen & Char…
film profile] - Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersh (Italy/Belgium/France/UK)

Best Director - Marco Bellocchio – Exterior Night [+see also:
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interview: Marco Bellocchio
series profile] (Italy/France)

Best New Director
Giulia Louise Steigerwalt - Settembre [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Original Screenplay
Roberto Andò, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudioso - Strangeness [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Adapted Screenplay
Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersh – The Eight Mountains

Best Producer
Angelo Barbagallo, Attilio De Razza - Strangeness

Best Actress
Barbara Ronchi – Settembre

Best Actor
Fabrizio Gifuni – Exterior Night

Best Supporting Actress
Emanuela Fanelli - Dry [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Supporting Actor
Francesco Di Leva - Nostalgia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
interview: Pierfrancesco Favino
film profile] (Italy/France)

Best Photography
Ruben Impens – The Eight Mountains

Best Composer
Stefano Bollani - Il pataffio [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] (Italy/Belgium)

Best Original Song
Proiettili (Ti mangio il cuore) – Burning Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pippo Mezzapesa
film profile]

Best Set Design
Giada Calabria, Loredana Raffi - Strangeness

Best Costumes
Maria Rita Barbera - Strangeness

Best Make-Up
Enrico Iacoponi – Exterior Night

Best Hair Design
Desiree Corridoni – Caravaggio’s Shadow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/France)

Best Editing
Francesca Calvelli, Claudio Misantoni – Exterior Night

Best Sound
The Eight Mountains

Best Visual Effects – VFX
Dry

Cecilia Mangini Prize for Best Documentary
Il cerchio [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Sophie Chiarello

Best International Film
The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg (USA)

Best Short Film
Le variabili dipendenti - Lorenzo Tardella

Young People’s David
Caravaggio’s Shadow - Michele Placido

David di Donatello Audience Award
Il grande giorno [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Massimo Venier

Lifetime Acheivement Award
Marina Cicogna

Special David di Donatello Award
Isabella Rossellini

Special David di Donatello Award
Enrico Vanzina

(Translated from Italian)