08/05/2025 - A record number of prizes were won by women, with Gloria! and The Art of Joy also claiming victory and Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope slipping under the radar

Director Maura Delpero with one of her David di Donatello awards for Vermiglio (© Emanuele Manco/Accademia del Cinema Italiano)

An undeniable deluge of trophies rained down on women working in film at the 70th David di Donatello Awards ceremony, held last night in Cinecittà. And for the first time in the history of the Italian Film Academy awards, a woman was named Best Director. Nominated in no fewer than 14 categories, Vermiglio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maura Delpero
film profile], directed by Maura Delpero, claimed seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Producer, not to mention trophies for cinematography, casting – a new prize introduced by the Davids this year – and sound.

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Other victors included Margherita Vicario, crowned Best Emerging Director for Gloria! [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Margherita Vicario
film profile], which also scooped Best Composer and Best Original Song, and Valeria Golino, whose mini-series The Art of Joy [+see also:
series review
series profile] bagged three prizes: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, the latter two thanks to Tecla Insolia and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.

Named Best Actor for his part in Andrea Segre’s The Great Ambition [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Elio Germano dedicated his sixth David “to all those who are fighting and will continue to fight for the equal right to dignity”, concluding that “a Palestinian has the same self-respect as an Israeli".

On stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement David, director Pupi Avati emphasised that the opulence of the ceremony “doesn’t chime with the Italian film industry”, where “there are mostly small, independent companies who are struggling to stay afloat". The 86-year-old director called for a meeting between the government and the opposition to help revive the film industry.

While cardinals from all over the world were holed up in a Vatican conclave, the David di Donatello ceremony, which lasted a good three and a half hours, also welcomed Timothée Chalamet, who was treading the red carpet with his partner Kylie Jenner and who won a Special David Award, while Sean Baker’s Anora was deemed Best International Film.

Parthenope [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Paolo Sorrentino was totally ignored by Academy voters, despite its 15 nominations, as was Cristina Comencini’s movie The Time It Takes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Francesca Comencini
film profile].

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best Film
Vermiglio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maura Delpero
film profile] - Maura Delpero (Italy/France/Belgium)

Best Director
Maura Delpero - Vermiglio

Best Emerging Director
Margherita Vicario - Gloria! [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Margherita Vicario
film profile] (Italy/Switzerland)

Best Producer
Vermiglio - Cinedora, together with RAI Cinema, in collaboration with Charades and Versus

Best Actress
Tecla Insolia – The Art of Joy

Best Actor
Elio Germano – The Great Ambition [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/Belgium/Bulgaria)

Best Supporting Actress
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi – The Art of Joy

Best Supporting Actor
Francesco Di Leva - Familia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Original Screenplay
Maura Delpero - Vermiglio

Best Adapted Screenplay
Valeria Golino, Francesca Marciano, Valia Santella, Luca Infascelli, Stefano Sardo – The Art of Joy [+see also:
series review
series profile] (Italy/UK)

Best Casting
Stefania Rodà, Maurilio Mangano - Vermiglio

Best Cinematographer
Mikhail Krichman - Vermiglio

Best Editing
Jacopo Quadri – The Great Ambition

Best Sound
Live recording: Dana Farzanehpour, sound editing: Hervé Guyader, sound creation: Hervé Guyader – Mix: Emmanuel De Boissieu - Vermiglio!

Best Production Design
Tonino Zera (set design); Maria Grazia Schirripa, Carlotta Desmann (decor) – The Flood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianluca Jodice
film profile] (Italy/France)

Best Costumes
Massimo Cantini Parrini – The Flood

Best Make-Up
Alessandra Vita (make-up), Valentina Visintin (prosthetics) – The Flood

Best Hair Design
Aldo Signoretti, Domingo Santoro – The Flood

Best Visual Effects – VFX
VFX Supervisor: Victor Perez – Naples to New York [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Composer
Margherita Vicario, Davide Pavanello - Gloria!

Best Original Song
“Aria!” - Margherita Vicario, Davide Pavanello, Edwyn Clark Roberts, Andrea Bonomo, Gianluigi Fazio - Gloria!

David Cecilia Mangini Prize for Best Documentary
Ukrainian Whispers - Francesca Mannocchi

Best International Film
Anora - Sean Baker (USA)

Young People’s Award
Naples to New York - Gabriele Salvatores

Best Short Film
Domenica sera - Matteo Tortone

Audience Award
Diamanti [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ferzan Özpetek

Lifetime Achievement Award
Pupi Avati

Special Awards
Ornella Muti
Timothée Chalamet

Cinecittà Special Prize for the 70th David di Donatello Awards
Giuseppe Tornatore

(Translated from Italian)