I Love Italian Everything

Last night at Taormina, Sicily’s Teatro Antico, the Association of Italian Film Critics awarded their yearly Nastro D’Argento Awards. The Nastro D’Argento (Silver Ribbon)  is  the second oldest movie award in the world – only the Academy Awards are older.  Nanni Moretti walked away with the most awards – 6 from his 7 nominations including best director for his film “Habemus Papam”. Moretti deserves a lot of credit – he’s done more than almost anyone to shake things up in modern Italian filmmaking.

Michele Placido’s “Vallanzasca – Gli Angeli del Male”  won three including best actor for Kim Rossi Stewart.  Alba Rohrwacher ( I Am Love )  won best actress over Paola Cortellesi, Angela Finocchiaro, Donatella Finocchiaro, and Isabella Ragonese for her role in “La solitudine dei numeri primi” (The Solitude of Prime Numbers). I’m a huge Alba fan but I think that this was a pretty boring choice. I have to agree that her acting in “La Solitudine…” was brilliant, though, even though the movie was a little weak.

Alba’s sister Alice Rohrwacher won an award too – best new director for “Corpo celeste” (Heavenly Body).

2011 was a big year for comedies in Italy and from 12 nominated for best comedy the winner is Nessuno Mi Può Giudicare –  No One Can Judge Me. Its star Paola Cortellesi won the David di Donatello for best actress this year. I was able to see a lot of the nominated but not Nessuno Mi Può Giudicare yet – it’s not been released on DVD and I wasn’t in Italy when it was in the theaters. I wish that “Gianni e le Donne” would have gotten more attention – really, any attention this year. Watch for it coming to the US as “The Salt of Life”.

Nastro dell’anno 2011, The Nastro of the Year Award, went to Mario Martone’s Noi Credevamo,  We Believed. It was the winner of seven David di Donatello awards including best film),  an amazing effort that deserves everything it got.

Here’s a more complete list of winners – Let’s keep our fingers crossed for wide US distribution for all of the winners – and the nominees as well!

Best Director – Nanni Moretti for Habemus Papam (We have a Pope)

Best New Director – Alice Rohrwacher for Corpo celeste (Celestial Body)

Best Comedy – Massimiliano Bruno for Nessuno mi può giudicare (Nobody Can Judge Me)

Best Producer – Nanni Moretti and Domenico Procacci for Habemus Papam (We have a Pope)

Best Actress – Alba Rohrwacher, for La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi (The Solitude of Prime Numbers)

Best Actor – Kim Rossi Stuart for Vallanzasca – Gli angeli del male (Angels of Evil)

Best Supporting Actor – Giuseppe Battiston for  La passione (The Passion) Hurray! Love him!

Best Supporting Actress – Carolina Crescentini for Boris il film (Boris the Film)

Best Story – Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli and Francesco Piccolo for Habemus Papam (We have a Pope)

Best Screenplay – Massimo Gaudioso for Benvenuti al Sud (Welcome to the South)

Best Soundtrack – Negramaro for Vallanzasca – Gli angeli del male (Angels of Evil)

Best European Film  – The Kings Speech, Tom Hooper

Best Non-European Film – Hereafter, Clint Eastwood

NASTRO DELL’ANNO 2011, The Nastro of the year  – Noi Credevamo (We Believed)