The 71st edition of the David di Donatello Awards delivered an evening filled with celebration, emotion and powerful reflections on the state of Italian cinema. Held at Rome’s Cinecittà studios, the ceremony honored the year’s best films and performances while also becoming a platform for actors and filmmakers to speak openly about the growing challenges facing the industry.
One of the night’s most emotional moments came when Matilda De Angelis won Best Supporting Actress for Fuori, directed by Mario Martone. Clearly moved while accepting the award, the actress thanked Martone for giving her “one of the most beautiful roles” of her career before turning to the broader cultural climate in Italy.
“Our country is experiencing a serious cultural impoverishment,” she said. “I don’t understand why culture is not at the center of our national priorities. Don’t take away our hope and our future.” She dedicated the award to her parents.
The award for Best Supporting Actor went to Lino Musella for his performance in "Nonostante, directed by Valerio Mastandrea. During his speech, Musella quoted Robert De Niro, saying that “art can be a threat to fascist autocrats,” and stressed the importance of cinema, theater, music and poetry as tools of freedom and human solidarity.
Musella also referenced current global conflicts and expressed support for those who continue to speak out against injustice. “I will never stop exposing myself on stage and in life,” he said, ending his speech with a call for peace and freedom.
Among the evening’s major winners was Le città di pianura, which earned Francesco Sossai and Adriano Candiago the award for Best Original Screenplay. Le assaggiatrici by Silvio Soldini also enjoyed a successful night, winning the David Giovani award as well as Best Adapted Screenplay, credited to Doriana Leondeff, Soldini, Lucio Ricca, Cristina Comencini, Giulia Calenda and Ilaria Macchia. Esmé Sciaroni received the award for Best Makeup for the same film.
Gabriele Mainetti’s La città proibita stood out in the technical categories, taking home awards for Best Production Design, thanks to Andrea Castorina and Marco Martucci, and Best Cinematography for Paolo Carnera.
Another highlight of the ceremony was Margherita Spampinato’s victory for Best Directorial Debut with Gioia mia. The film also earned Aurora Quattrocchi the award for Best Actress. Fabio Massimo Capogrosso won Best Composer for Primavera by Damiano Michieletto.
The audience gave a standing ovation to acclaimed director Gianni Amelio as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Ornella Muti was honored with the Special David Award. Welcomed on stage with the music from Tutta colpa del Paradiso, the actress thanked Italian cinema for what she called “a prize that lights up my entire career.”
Beyond the awards themselves, many of the evening’s guests used the spotlight to address the deep uncertainty surrounding Italy’s film industry. Actor Claudio Santamaria spoke about the thousands of workers behind every production, emphasizing the precarious conditions many of them face.
“Films are not made by a small circle of privileged people,” he said. “There are over one hundred thousand workers and professionals supporting Italian cinema and their families, often without adequate protections or guarantees.”
Actress Valeria Golino also called for meaningful dialogue between institutions and the film industry, expressing hope that recent discussions about the future of Italian cinema would lead to concrete action rather than political division.
The evening concluded with the David dello Spettatore award going to Buen Camino, directed by Gennaro Nunziante and starring Checco Zalone, confirming once again the comedian’s extraordinary popularity with Italian audiences.