At the 71st edition of the David di Donatello awards, ‘Le città di planura’ by Francesco Sossai and Adriano Candiago wins, a ramshackle film about the province that seems to have been written by Paolo Conte and takes home the prizes for best film, direction, leading actor (Sergio Romano), original screenplay, song, editing, producer and casting.
Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘La Grazia’, which had fourteen nominations and received nothing, was defeated. Surprise for ‘The Tasters’ by Silvio Soldini, best non-original screenplay, David Giovani and best make-up (Esmè Sciaroni). Four Davids, all technicians, go instead to ‘Primavera’ by Damiano Michieletto, best composer (Massimo Capogrosso), hairstyle, costumes and sound. And always among the surprises of this 71st edition is the film ‘Gioia Mia’ by Margherita Spampinato, the clash between a modern child and a rigid and religious Sicilian aunt, who not only wins the David for best directorial debut, but also the best leading actress for Aurora Quattrocchi, 83 years old. Three Davids at ‘The Forbidden City’ by Gabriele Mainetti, set design, photography and visual effects.
These are the verdicts of the evening, broadcast from the new Teatro 23 of Cinecittà live on Rai1, in a ceremony conducted by a torrential Flavio Insinna and a fascinating Bianca Balti. And this in the shadow of the crisis of Italian cinema and its cuts, the theme of many speeches by the award winners and above all of the peaceful protest outside the studios by a group of entertainment workers, in the demonstration organized by Usb Cinema and the #siamoaititolidicoda movement. In short, an edition with many protests not only for the industrial policy of cinema, but also for the disastrous international situation, from Matilda De Angelis (Goliarda Sapienza reminds us of our responsibility to bring cinema back to being honest, clean, clear, political, social”, says the actress on stage, awarded as best supporting actor for Fuori by Mario Martone, after having demonstrated her solidarity with the workers) to Lino Musella, best supporting actor for “Nonostante” by Valerio Mastandrea (“I will never stop saying ‘Free Palestine'”), up to Angela Finocchiaro, Sergio Romano, but also Matthew Modine who says: «There is no Italy without cinema. Italian cinema makes films to remind us all what being human really means.”
Among the awards already announced, the David for Best International Film went to One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson and the David dello Spectatore to Buen Camino by Gennaro Nunziante with Checco Zalone, both absent from the evening.
Among the most moving moments is Stefania Sandrelli awarding an excited eighty-five-year-old Vittorio Storaro, the ‘lord of light’, three Oscar awards, saying: «What a pleasure to receive an award in the Italian language». And there’s a standing ovation in the room. Best documentary is ‘Everyday in Gaza’ by Omar Rammal: «I wanted to tell the daily life of people who try to survive among the rubble of Gaza».
«There is no Italy without cinema», is the cry that united the many interventions from the stage. An appeal also addressed to the institutions. «We were counting so much on that contribution from the ministry which instead never arrived, the money never arrived», says Ilaria de Laurentiis, director with Andrea Paolo Massara and Raffaele Brunetti of «Roberto Rossellini – more than a life» which won the David for best documentary. «Without a penny, full of debts, but that’s fine all the same. We are happy and worried about our future, for that of Italian cinema”, he adds.