06/05/2024 - Matteo Garrone’s film about migrants triumphs with 7 statuettes in total; 6 awards went to There Is Still Tomorrow, 5 for Kidnapped and 3 for the debut feature Palazzina Laf

Matteo Garrone receives the Best Director David di Donatello award for Io Capitano (© Luca Dammicco)

It was essentially a four-way game that was fought at the 69th edition of the David di Donatello awards, whose ceremony was held last Friday in Rome, in the legendary Teatro 5 at the Cinecittà, Federico Fellini’s favourite theatre. The great winner is, without a doubt, Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], with its 7 awards won (out of 15 nominations), amongst which were the most important: for Best Film, Best Director, Best Producer and Best Cinematography, as well as Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. “Awards are important”, said Garrone, “even more so if it can help the film be seen by more people, returning to the cinema”. The remaining awards, given by the Academy of Italian Cinema, were shared between There Is Still Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Kidnapped [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Palazzina Laf [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

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With his film about the odyssey of migrants, a finalist at this year’s Oscars, Garrone overtook the huge favourite of this edition of the Davids (with 19 nominations), namely Paola Cortellesi with There Is Still Tomorrow, a film about domestic violence: the queen of the box office (over €36 million collected) brought home 6 statuettes, amongst which the one for Best First Film. “I made my debut feature when I was at the threshold of the menopause”, joked the actress-director, “I hope that young newcomers always have the necessary support to tell new stories”. The other awards the film received were for Best Lead Actress (Cortellesi herself), Best Supporting Actress (Emanuela Fanelli, who already won a David last year), Best Original Screenplay, as well as the Audience award and the Young People award.

Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped won 5 statuettes (out of 11 nominations), amongst which Best Adapted Screenplay (written by the director together with Susanna Nicchiarelli) and Best Set Design; Michele Riondino’s debut feature Palazzina Laf won, surprisingly and deservedly, 3 awards, including Best Lead Actor (Riondino) and Best Supporting Actor (Elio Germano). On the other hand, however, La Chimera [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Alice Rohrwacher, which was nominated in 14 categories, left empty handed; in compensation, Rohrwacher was honoured by Justine Triet who, receiving the David for Best International Film for Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile], declared her admiration for the work of the Italian filmmaker, who was visibly moved. Disappointment also for Nanni Moretti, who with his A Brighter Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] did not manage to transform any of his 7 nominations.

There are two other films in this year’s list of winners: Adagio [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Stefano Sollima (David for Best Composer) and Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile] by Mario Martone (Best Documentary). The Academy of Italian Cinema gave in the end two lifetime achievement awards, to actress Milena Vukotic and to composer Giorgio Moroder.

The winners of the 69th David di Donatello awards:

Best Film
Io capitano [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Matteo Garrone (Italy/Belgium/France)

Best Director
Matteo Garrone - Io capitano

Best Debut Director
Paola Cortellesi - There Is Still Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Production
Io capitano - Archimede, Rai Cinema, Pathé, Tarantula

Best Lead Actress
Paola Cortellesi - There Is Still Tomorrow

Best Lead Actor
Michele Riondino - Palazzina Laf [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/France)

Best Supporting Actress
Emanuela Fanelli - There Is Still Tomorrow

Best Supporting Actor
Elio Germano - Palazzina Laf

Best Original Screenplay
Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda, Paola Cortellesi - There Is Still Tomorrow

Best Adapted Screenplay
Marco Bellocchio, Susanna Nicchiarelli - Kidnapped [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/France/Germany)

Best Cinematographer
Paolo Carnera - Io capitano

Best Composer
Subsonica - Adagio [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]

Best Song
La mia terra, music, text and interpretation by Diodato - Palazzina Laf

Best Set Design
Andrea Castorina, Valeria Vecellio - Kidnapped

Best Costumes
Sergio Ballo, Daria Calvelli - Kidnapped

Best Make-up
Enrico Iacoponi - Kidnapped

Best Hair Styling
Alberta Giuliani - Kidnapped

Best Editing
Marco Spoletini - Io capitano

Best Sound
Io capitano

Best VFX
Io capitano

Best Documentary - Cecilia Mangini Award
Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile] - Mario Martone

Best International Film
Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] - Justine Triet (France)

Best Short Film
The Meatseller - Margherita Giusti

Young Audience Award
There Is Still Tomorrow - Paola Cortellesi

Audience Award
There Is Still Tomorrow - Paola Cortellesi

Lifetime Achievement Awards
Milena Vukotic
Giorgio Moroder

Special Award
Vincenzo Mollica

(Translated from Italian)