The David di Donatello Awards are the Italian Academy Awards, decided by the people in the industry, the film-makers themselves: screenwriters, performers, technicians, producers.
You love a spectacle? You’ll love the Davids!
1) They are handed out at a fancy award show in June that is televised on Rai, but can also be streamed live online, and we’ll let you know about that. This year, it’s June 12.
2) And though it is sufficiently glamorous, it is not the circus that the Academy Awards has become. My favorite part? The acceptance speeches. I can no longer bear to watch actors like Julia Roberts babble on for minutes, acting as if being awarded a best actress award is the equivalent of finding a cure for cancer. At the Davids, the actors graciously and BRIEFLY thank a few people and then get off the stage. Take notes, Hollywood.
3) But that isn’t to say that the Davids are without controversy. In recent years critics have been calling for a complete overhaul of the system, claiming that the awards are decided by a group of “friends of friends” and the nominations are the same old thing year after year. Poor Margherita Buy has been criticized for winning too many, 6, to be precise, while the great Anna Magnani only ever won 2. (And Margherita is nominated again this year for Nanni Moretti’s ‘Mia Madre’). While I love her, and I don’t think she’s paying anyone off for the Davids, I have to admit that there are a lot of other actresses in the sea.
4) Even so, the Davids can be unpredictable, at least for those of us on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. For instance, while we in America were busy awarding La Grande Bellezza the Academy award for best foreign film, in Italy, La Grande Bellezza lost to Paolo Virzì’s Il Capitale Umano.
5) This year the horse race is between Francesco Munzi’s Anime Nere (Black Souls) and Mario Martone for Il Giovane Favoloso (Leopardi), with 16 nominations for Anime Nere and 14 for Il Giovane Favoloso.
6) The David di Donatello is named after Donatello’s David and the statue looks like this:
7) If you want to join in the fun, check out the play-at-home ballot we’ve created for you and get to know the nominees. Then on June 12, pick out your ball gown, invite your friends over, pop open the Prosecco, and join us on Twitter for live tweeting of the event.
I Love Italian Everything 