Gladiator Russel Crowe’s day in Taormina had a spectacular epilogue, in a packed ancient theatre, thus paying homage to the actor and to the 72nd edition of the film festival, with its program full of guests and contents. Crowe received the Taormina Film Festival International Achievement Award and before the applause at the theater he entertained the audience on the red carpet in Piazza IX Aprile, where together with the cast he offered a nice little show with a little boy, who approached him with a gladiator’s helmet and was “crowned” by him.
At the ancient theater a real ovation, audience standing. “I love Sicily, I came back, to the festival and with my family. And now on my signal…” … and the theater went wild with him! Among the prizes, Micaela Ramazzotti who spoke about her first film as director, “Happiness”, greeted the puppies at home, Guercino and Totò, and expressed appreciation for the masterclass with the young people: “I am happy for their presence, they were looking at us and not at a mobile phone”.
Alexia made people dance with her successes, applause for Sergio Friscia for his 36-year career. Humanity at the center with Miriam Leone, who wanted to underline the value of such a participatory event, perfect for rediscovering the value of relationships. On stage the verve of Paolo Guzzanti, who wanted to remember the origins of Sicily and his family, of Mineo, and the irony of Paolo Rossi. Gore Verbinski and Toby Jones brought great international cinema to Taormina with an important reference to the career paths of younger people. Among the prizes are Sarah Toscano and Kaya Scodelario. The evening ended with the world premiere screening of Bear Country, directed by Derrick Borte, with Russell Crowe, Nina Dobrev, Aaron Paul, Derrick Borte, Daniel Zovatto, Mark Fasano, Jeffrey Greenstein, present in Taormina for the promotion of the film.