Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains and veteran Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night topped the 68th edition of Italy’s David di Donatello Awards on Wednesday evening.
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk, tied with The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and The Conformist.
Van Groeningen said the film had been “an incredible journey” adding, “Why did two Belgians end up making a film in Italy? It was a very beautiful story, from a book that the producers sent me, and I said: yes, let’s do it.”
His co-director Vandermeersch is also only the second woman to win the best film award after Francesca Archibugi, who clinched the prize twice for Verso Sera and The Great Pumpkin in 1991 and 1993 respectively.
Marco Bellocchio won best director for series Exterior Night about the events surrounding the Red Brigade kidnapping and assassination in 1978 of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
The veteran filmmaker previously won the prize for Vincere and The Traitor in 2010 and 2020 respectively.
Ruben Oslund’s Triangle Of Sadness won best international film.
“I didn’t expect it, I’m telling the truth, but I accept it” he explains. “At my age you become wise. The important thing is not to stop. I wish I still had time to do things,” said the director who heads to Cannes next week with Kidnapped.
In other prizes, actress Isabella Rossellini and director Enrico Vanzina were feted with special honorary awards.
“I feel half Italian. Italy is my second home and I am in love with Italy. It’s a marvellous country from A to B, but if I had to choose it would of course be Rome,” said Rossellini on receiving her trophy from Matt Dillon.
Veteran producer Marina Cicogna, who worked with the likes of Sergio Leone, Lina Wertmuller, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vittorio De Sica and Franco Zeffirelli, was also feted with a career award.
The awards are voted on by 1,600 Italian film professionals belonging to the David di Donatello Academy.
Full list of 2023 winners (in bold) and nominees
Best Director
- Marco Bellocchio, Exterior Night
- Gianni Amelio, Lord of the Ants
- Roberto Andò, Strangeness
- Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersh, The Eight Mountains
- Mario Martone, Nostalgia
Best Directorial Debut
- Caroline Cavalli, Amanda
- Jasmine Trinca Marcel!
- Niccolò Falsetti Margins
- Giulia Louise Steigerwalt, September
- Vincenzo Pirrotta, Spaccaossa
Best Original Screenplay
- Astolfo, Gianni Di Gregorio, Marco Pettenello
- Chiara, Susanna Nicchiarelli
- Exterior Night, Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Ludovica Rampoldi, Davide Serino
- Lord of the Ants, Gianni Amelio, Edoardo Petti, Federico Fava
- L’Immensità, Emanuele Crialese, Francesca Manieri, Vittorio Moroni
- Strangeness, Roberto Andò, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudioso
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Bentu, Salvatore Mereu
- Brado, Massimo Gaudioso, Kim Rossi Stuart
- The Hummingbird, Francesca Archibugi, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo
- The Eight Mountains, Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersh
- Nostalgia, Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo
Best Leading Actress
- Benedetta Porcaroli, Amanda
- Margherita Buy, Exterior Night
- Penelope Cruz, L’Immensità
- Barbara Ronchi, September
- Claudia Pandolfi, Dry
Best Leading Actor
- Fabrizio Gifuni,Exterior Night
- Luigi Lo Cascio, Lord of the Ants
- Ficarra e Picone (Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone), Strangeness
- Alessandro Borghi, The Eight Mountains
- Luca Marinelli, The Eight Mountains
Best Supporting Actress
- Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Amanda
- Daniela Marra, Exterior Night
- Giulia Andò, Strangeness
- Aurora Quattrocchi, Nostalgia
- Emanuela Fanelli, Dry
Best Supporting Actor
- Fausto Russo Alesi, Exterior Night
- Toni Servillo, Exterior Night
- Elio Germanus, Lord of the Ants
- Filippo Timi, The Eight mountains
- Francesco Di Leva, Nostalgia
Best Producer
- Exterior Night (Lorenzo Mieli, The Apartment/Fremantle, Simone Gattoni, Kavac Film)
- Strangeness (Angelo Barbagallo, Bibi Film, Attilio De Razza, Tramp Limited)
- The Eight Mountains (Wildside, Rufus, Menuetto, Pyramide Productions, Vision Distribution)
- Nostalgia (Medusa Film, Maria Carolina Terzi, Luciano and Carlo Stella, Mad Entertainement, Roberto Sessa, Angelo Laudisa, Rosebud Entertainment Pictures)
- Princess (Carla Altieri, Roberto De Paolis, Young Films, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori, Viola Prestieri, Indigo Films)
Best photography
- Exterior Night, Francesco di Giacomo
- I racconti della Domenica, Giovanni Mammolotti
- Strangeness, Maurizio Calvesi
- The Eight Mountains, Reuben Impens
- Nostalgia, Paolo Carnera
Best Composer
- Exterior Night – Fabio Massimo Capogrosso
- Il Pataffio, Stefano Bollani
- Strangeness, Michele Braga and Emanuele Bossi
- The Eight mountains, Daniel Norgren
- Dry, Franco Piersanti
Best Art Director
- Giada Calabria, Loredana Raffi, Strangeness
- Andrea Castorina, Marco Martucci, Laura Casalini, Exterior Night
- Marta Maffucci, Carolina Ferrara, Lord of the Ants
- Massimiliano Nocente, Marcella Galeone, The Eight Mountains
- Tonino Zera, Maria Grazia Schirippa, Marco Bagnoli, The shadow of Caravaggio
Best Costume
- Maria Rita Barbera, Strangeness
- Daria Calvelli, Exterior Night
- Massimo Cantini Parrini, Chiara
- Valentina Monticelli, Lord of the ants
- Carlo Poggioli, The shadow of Caravaggio
Best Makeup
- Paola Gattabrusi, Lorenzo Tamburini, The hummingbird
- Enrico Iacoponi, Exterior Night
- Federico Laurenti, Lorenzo Tamburini, Dante
- Luigi Rocchetti, The Shadow of Caravaggio
- Esmé Sciaroni, Lord of the ants
Best Hair
- Desiree Corridoni, The shadow of Caravaggio
- Alberta Giuliani, Exterior Night
- Samantha Mura, Lord of the ants
- Rudy Sifari, Strangeness
- Daniela Tartari, L’Immensità
Best Editing
- Esmeralda Calabria, Strangeness
- Francesca Calvelli with the collaboration of Claudio Misantoni, Exterior Night
- Nico Leunen, The Eight Mountains
- Simona Paggi, Lord of the Ants
- Jacopo Quadri, Nostalgia
Best Sound
- Exterior Night, Gaetano Carito, Lilio Rosato, Alberto Bernardi
- Lord of the Ants, Emanuele Cicconi, Mimmo Granata, Alberto Bernardi
- Strangeness, Carlo Missidenti, Marta Billingsley, Gianni Pallotto
- The Eight Mountains, Alessandro Palmerini, Alessandro Feletti, Marco Falloni
- Nostalgia, Emanuele Cecere, Silvia Moraes, Giancarlo Rutigliano
Best Special Effects
- Dampyr, Alessio Bertotti, Filippo Robino
- Diabolik, Simone Silvestri, Vito Picchinenna
- Exterior Night, Massimo Cipollinia
- The Eight Mountains, Rodolfo Migliari
- Dry, Marco Geracitano
Best International Film
- Bones and All, Luca Guardagnino
- Elvis, Baz Luhrmann
- Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson
- The Fabelsmans, Steven Spielberg
- Triangle Of Sadness, Ruben Ostlund
