European Films

For once the Italian Academy and the critics seem to agree: Giuseppe Tornatore’s immigrant noir La sconosciuta (The Unknown or The Unknown Woman) is the best film of the year. This week it won the Best Film and Best Director prizes, amongst others, at the David di Donatello Awards given by the Italian Cinema Academy, while the Italian critics had earlier announced Tornatore as the winner of their Nastro d’Argento or Silver Ribbon for Best Director of an Italian Film (they have no Best Film category). At both award ceremonies, actor Kim Rossi Stuart was crowned Best New Director for his directorial debut Anche libero va bene (Along the Ridge) and Ambra Angiolini won the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in Ferzan Ozpetek’s ensemble drama Saturno contro (Saturn in Opposition).

 

Choices in the other acting categories were not unanimous: the critics crowned Silvio Orlando and Margherita Buy Best Actor and Best Actress for their roles in Nanni Moretti's political satire Il caimano (The Caiman), with Buy also cited for her role in Saturno contro. Best Supporting Actor honours went to Alessandro Haber for his roles in La sconosciuta and Mario Monicelli's Le rose del deserto (Desert Roses).

 

The Academy prefered Ksenia Rappaport, the protagonist of La sconosciuta, and Elio Germano, the lead of Daniele Luchetti's Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) as Best Actress and Best Actor, with Supporting Actor nods going to Giorgio Colangeli for his work in the prison drama L'aria salata (The Salty Air) and Angela Finocchiaro, who shared the Best Supporting Actress honour ex aequo with Ambra Angiolini for her role as Germano's mother in Mio fratello è figlio unico.

 

Besides Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, Saturno contro won two more Ribbons: for Best Screenplay (by Ozpetek and Gianni Romoli) and Best Original Song (Passione by Neffa). The political coming-of-age drama Mio fratello è figlio unico won three other Davids besides Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress: for Best Screenplay (Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia), Best Sound and Best Editing. La sconosciuta also won the Best Cinematography (Fabio Zamarion) and Best Score (Ennio Moricone) categories at the Davids, while it also won Best Score at the Silver Ribbons. Il caimano also won Best Producer at the Silver Ribbons.

 

The critics chose Spain's Volver as the Best European Film, while the Academy preferred Germany's Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others).

 

The Silver Ribbons will be handed out to the winners at a ceremony during the Taormina Film Festival on June 23. Full lists of the David winners and the Nastri d'Argento winners can be found at the sites of the Italian Cinema Academy and the Syndicate of Italian Film Journalists.