‘The Eight Mountains’, ‘Exterior Night’ Take Top Honors At Italy’s David di Donatello Awards – Full Nominees and Winners List

Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen Best Film Award Franco Origlia/Getty Images 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.

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Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.

Watch on Deadline 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 NightGianni Amelio, Lord of the AntsRoberto Andò, StrangenessFelix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersh, The Eight MountainsMario Martone, Nostalgia Best

Directorial Debut

Caroline Cavalli, AmandaJasmine Trinca Marcel!Niccolò Falsetti MarginsGiulia Louise Steigerwalt, SeptemberVincenzo Pirrotta, Spaccaossa Best Original Screenplay

Astolfo, Gianni Di Gregorio, Marco PettenelloChiara, Susanna NicchiarelliExterior Night, Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Ludovica Rampoldi, Davide SerinoLord of the Ants, Gianni Amelio,

Edoardo Petti, Federico FavaL’Immensità, Emanuele Crialese, Francesca Manieri, Vittorio MoroniStrangeness, Roberto Andò, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudioso Best Adapted Screenplay

Bentu, Salvatore MereuBrado, Massimo Gaudioso, Kim Rossi StuartThe Hummingbird, Francesca Archibugi, Laura Paolucci, Francesco PiccoloThe Eight Mountains, Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte

VandermeershNostalgia, Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo Best Leading Actress

Benedetta Porcaroli, AmandaMargherita Buy, Exterior NightPenelope Cruz, L’ImmensitàBarbara Ronchi, SeptemberClaudia Pandolfi, Dry Best Leading Actor

Fabrizio Gifuni,Exterior NightLuigi Lo Cascio, Lord of the AntsFicarra e Picone (Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone), StrangenessAlessandro Borghi, The Eight MountainsLuca Marinelli, The

Eight Mountains Best Supporting Actress

Giovanna Mezzogiorno, AmandaDaniela Marra, Exterior NightGiulia Andò, StrangenessAurora Quattrocchi, NostalgiaEmanuela Fanelli, Dry Best Supporting Actor

Fausto Russo Alesi, Exterior NightToni Servillo, Exterior NightElio Germanus, Lord of the AntsFilippo Timi, The Eight mountainsFrancesco 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 MammolottiStrangeness, Maurizio CalvesiThe Eight Mountains, Reuben ImpensNostalgia, Paolo Carnera Best Composer

Exterior Night – Fabio Massimo CapogrossoIl Pataffio, Stefano BollaniStrangeness, Michele Braga and Emanuele BossiThe Eight mountains, Daniel NorgrenDry, Franco Piersanti Best Art Director

Giada Calabria, Loredana Raffi, StrangenessAndrea Castorina, Marco Martucci, Laura Casalini, Exterior NightMarta Maffucci, Carolina Ferrara, Lord of the AntsMassimiliano Nocente, Marcella

Galeone, The Eight MountainsTonino Zera, Maria Grazia Schirippa, Marco Bagnoli, The shadow of Caravaggio Best Costume

Maria Rita Barbera, StrangenessDaria Calvelli, Exterior NightMassimo Cantini Parrini, ChiaraValentina Monticelli, Lord of the antsCarlo Poggioli, The shadow of Caravaggio Best Makeup

Paola Gattabrusi, Lorenzo Tamburini, The hummingbirdEnrico Iacoponi, Exterior NightFederico Laurenti, Lorenzo Tamburini, DanteLuigi Rocchetti, The Shadow of CaravaggioEsmé Sciaroni, Lord of

the ants Best Hair

Desiree Corridoni, The shadow of CaravaggioAlberta Giuliani, Exterior NightSamantha Mura, Lord of the antsRudy Sifari, StrangenessDaniela Tartari, L’Immensità Best Editing

Esmeralda Calabria, StrangenessFrancesca Calvelli with the collaboration of Claudio Misantoni, Exterior NightNico Leunen, The Eight MountainsSimona Paggi, Lord of the AntsJacopo Quadri,

Nostalgia Best Sound

Exterior Night, Gaetano Carito, Lilio Rosato, Alberto BernardiLord of the Ants, Emanuele Cicconi, Mimmo Granata, Alberto BernardiStrangeness, Carlo Missidenti, Marta Billingsley, Gianni

PallottoThe Eight Mountains, Alessandro Palmerini, Alessandro Feletti, Marco FalloniNostalgia, Emanuele Cecere, Silvia Moraes, Giancarlo Rutigliano Best Special Effects

Dampyr, Alessio Bertotti, Filippo RobinoDiabolik, Simone Silvestri, Vito PicchinennaExterior Night, Massimo CipolliniaThe Eight Mountains, Rodolfo MigliariDry, Marco Geracitano Best

International Film

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