Matteo Garrone’s refugee drama Io Capitano, an Oscar nominee this year for Italy in the best international feature category, was the big winner of this year’s 2024 David Di Donatello Awards, Italy’s equivalent to the Oscars, winning best film and director for Garrone.
Io Capitano also picked up prizes for best cinematography, editing, sound, and visual effects.
Paola Cortellesi’s There’s Still Tomorrow, a black-and-white feminist dramedy that became the top-grossing film in Italy last year, won Cortellesi the Donatello honors for best actress, directorial debut, and original script for the screenplay she co-wrote with Furio Andreotti and Giulia Calenda.
“I want to thank those who gave me the opportunity to write this role as I wanted it,” she said, accepting her actress honor.
Cortellesi’s film, a dramedy about an abused woman in post-WWII Rome that manages to combine serious social drama with situational comedy, sight gags and even a musical number, was also a huge commercial hit in Italy, outpacing Barbie at the local box office (earning some $40 million) and became a cultural phenomenon, sparking a new debate in Italy over domestic violence and femicide.
The best actor prize went to another actor-turned-director, Michele Riondino, who won the Donatello for playing the lead in his directorial debut, Palazzina Laf, a drama about workplace bullying. Co-star Elio Germano took the best supporting actor prize.
Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, a drama about the true story of a Jewish boy taken from his family and forced to convert to Catholicism, took the Donatello for best adapted screenplay, for a script co-written by Bellocchio and Susanna Nicchiarelli, and was a big winner in the technical categories, taking awards for production design, costume design, make up, and hair.
The Donatello for best international film went to Justine Triet’s Oscar winner Anatomy of a Fall.
The 69th David di Donatello Awards were held Friday, May 3 at the legendary Cinecittà studios in Rome and broadcast live on Italian public broadcaster Rai 1.
See the full list of winners below.
Best Film
There’s Still Tomorrow
A Better Tomorrow
Io Capitano (WINNER)
La Chimera
Kidnapped
Best Director
A Better Tomorrow Nanni Moretti
Io Capitano, Matteo Garrone (WINNER)
Last Night of Amore Andrea Di Stefano
La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher
Kidnapped Marco Bellocchio
Best Directorial Debut
There’s Still Tomorrow, Paola Cortellesi (WINNER)
Disco Boy Giacomo Abbruzzese
Felicita Micaela Ramazzotti
Palazzina Laf Michele Riondino
Fireworks Giuseppe Fiorello
Best Original Screenplay
There’s Still Tomorrow Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda, Paola Cortellesi (WINNER)
A Better Tomorrow Francesca Marciano, Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella
Io Capitano Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri
La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher
Palazzina Laf Maurizio Braucci, Michele Riondino
Best Non-Original Screenplay
Scarlet Pietro Marcello, Maurizio Braucci, Maud Ameline
Lubo Giorgio Diritti, Fredo Valla
Misericordia Emma Dante, Elena Stancanelli, Giorgio Vasta
Mixed By Erry Armando Festa, Sydney Sibilia
Kidnapped, Marco Bellocchio, Susanna Nicchiarelli (WINNER)
Best Producer
There’s Still Tomorrow Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Wildside/ Fremantle; Vision Distribution, in collaboration with Sky and Netflix
Comandante Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori, Viola Prestieri for Indigo Film; Pierpaolo Verga and Edoardo De Angelis for O’ Groove; Paolo Del Brocco for Rai Cinema; Attilio De Razza for Tramp Limited; Mariagiovanna De Angelis for Vgroove; Antonio Miyakawa for Wise Pictures
Disco Boy Giulia Achilli, Marco Alessi, Lionel Massol, Pauline Seigland, André Logie
Io Capitano Archimede, Rai Cinema, Pathé, Tarantula (WINNER)
La Chimera Carlo Cresto-Dina for Rai Cinema
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Paola Cortellesi for There’s Still Tomorrow (WINNER)
Like Sheep Among Wolves Isabella Ragonese
Felicita Micaela Ramazzotti
Last Night of Amore Linda Caridi
Kidnapped Barbara Ronchi
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Valerio Mastandrea for There’s Still Tomorrow
Antonio Albanese for Cento Domeniche
Pierfrancesco Favino for Comandante
Josh O’Connor for La Chimera
Michele Riondino for Palazzina Laf (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actress
Emanuela Fanelli for There’s Still Tomorrow (WINNER)
Romana Maggiora Vergano for There’s Still Tomorrow
Barbora Bobulova for A Better Tomorrow
Alba Rohrwacher for La Chimera
Isabella Rossellini for La Chimera
Best Supporting Actor
Adriano Giannini for Adagio
Giorgio Colangeli for There’s Still Tomorrow
Vinicio Marchioni for There’s Still Tomorrow
Silvio Orlando for A Better Tomorrow
Elio Germano for Palazzina Laf (WINNER)
Best Cinematography
Davide Leone for There’s Still Tomorrow
Ferran Paredes Rubio for Comandante
Paolo Carnera for Io Capitano (WINNER)
Hélène Louvart for La Chimera
Francesco Di Giacomo for Kidnapped
Best Editing
Marco Spoletini for Io capitano (WINNER) Francesca Calvelli, Stefano Mariotti for Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara
Nelly Quettier for La chimera
Giogiò Franchini for Last Night of Amore
Valentina Mariani for There’s Still Tomorrow
Best Composer
Subsonica for Adagio (WINNER)
Lele Marchitelli for There’s Still Tomorrow
Franco Piersanti for A Better Tomorrow
Andrea Farri for Io Capitano
Santi Pulvirenti for Last Night of Amore
Best Original Song
Adagio
Il più bel secolo della mia vita
Io Capitano
Mixed by Erry
Diodato for ‘La mia terra’ in Palazzina Laf (WINNER)
Best Production Design
Paola Comencini, Fiorella Cicolini for There’s Still Tomorrow
Carmine Guarino, Iole Autero for Comandante
Dimitri Capuani, Roberta Troncarelli for Io Capitano
Emita Frigato, Rachele Meliadò for La Chimera
Andrea Castorina, Valeria Vecellio for Kidnapped (WINNER)
Best Costume Design
Alberto Moretti for There’s Still Tomorrow
Massimo Cantini Parrini for Comandante
Stefano Ciammitti for Io Capitano
Loredana Buscemi for La Chimera
Sergio Ballo, Daria Calvelli for Kidnapped (WINNER)
Best Make Up
Antonello Resch, Lorenzo Tamburini, Michele Salgaro Vaccaro, Francesca Galafassi for Adagio
Ermanno Spera for There’s Still Tomorrow
Paola Gattabrusi, Lorenzo Tamburini for Comandante
Dalia Colli, Roberta Martorina for Io Capitano
Enrico Iacoponi for Kidnapped (WINNER)
Best Hairstyle
Teresa Di Serio for There’s Still Tomorrow
Massimo Gattabrusi for Comandante
Stefano Ciammitti, Dalia Colli for Io Capitano
Daniela Tartari for La Chimera
Alberta Giuliani for Kidnapped (WINNER)
Best Sound
There’s Still Tomorrow
Comandante
A Brighter Tomorrow
Io Capitano (WINNER)
La Chimera
Best VFX
Stefano Leoni, Flaminia Maltese for Adagio
Kevin Tod Haug, Stacey Dodge for Comandante
Fabio Tomassetti, Daniele Tomassetti for Denti da squalo
Laurent Creusot, Massimo Cipollina for Io Capitano (WINNER)
Rodolfo Migliari, Lena Di Gennaro for Kidnapped
Best Documentary
Enzo Jannacci: Vengo Anch’io Giorgio Verdelli
Io noi e Gaber Riccardo Milani
Laggiù qualcuno mi ama, Mario Martone (WINNER)
MUR Kasia Smutniak
Roma Santa e Dannata Daniele Ciprì
Best International Film
Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet (WINNER)
The Beasts Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Fallen Leaves Aki Kaurismäki
Killers of the Flower Moon Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan
