David is not beautiful if he is not a quarrel. If we have not resisted this pun, it is because the 66th edition of the award, which will take place in the presence of the Fabrizio Frizzi studios and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Tuesday 11 May, it is accompanied by a controversy served on a silver platter even before the David di Donatello are awarded. It is the director who turns it on Gabriele Muccino, competing with the film The best years in three categories – best actress in a leading role to Micaela Ramazzotti, best original song and David Giovani -, but decided to leave the jury of the award because “I don’t recognize myself in the selection criteria that for years have distinguished what was once the most coveted award after the Oscar”.
According to Muccino, who at the time of the announcement of the nominations expressed strong doubts about the candidacy of films such as Bad stories of the D’Innocenzo brothers, in his opinion overrated by critics, the pact between filmmakers and the public was interrupted in the 1980s, when Italian cinema was de-legitimized to the degree of “commercial”.
In a long post published on his Instagram profile, Muccino denounces a system in which “too many friends of friends” are often voting, suggesting that the criteria for awarding the statuettes – a bit like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that delivers the Golden Globes – are not entirely transparent and disinterested. “I will no longer appear in the categories of Best Director and Best Screenplay in the future” is the gloss of Muccino who, in his heart, hopes that Italian cinema will be able to return to compete with international cinema “as soon as possible”. For the rest, the David di Donatello, which in 2020 had been broadcast remotely thanks to one of the first smart working ceremonies in the history of cinema, decide to restart live by focusing on respectable names and performances. One of these will be the exhibition of Laura Pausini who, from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, will sing an unpublished version of I do (Seen), the song written together with Niccolò Agliardi and Diane Warren that made her win the Golden Globe and made her close to the Oscar. The song is part of the de soundtrack Life ahead of him by Edoardo Ponti, the film he brought back Sophia Loren to the leading role and which competes for the David as best actress together with Vittoria Puccini (18 gifts), Paola Cortellesi (Sons), Micaela Ramazzotti and Alba Rohrwacher (Laces). In case of victory, Loren, who has already won 6 times, would confirm the title of the most awarded actress in the history of David by detaching Monica Vitti and Margherita Buy from 2 statuettes. Leading this year’s nominations is, however, I wanted to hide by Giorgio Rights, the film dedicated to the life of Antonio Ligabue with a great Elio Germano who dominates thanks to 15 nominations. They follow closely Hammamet by Gianni Amelio with Pierfrancesco Favino (14), Bad stories by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo (13) and, on equal merit, Miss Marx by Susanna Nicchiarelli e The incredible story of the Isle of Roses by Sydney Sibilia with 11.
And if the criticism rejoices for the nomination for best director by two women, Emma Dante for The Macaluso sisters and Susanna Nicchiarelli for Miss Marx, two films both presented at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, the David di Donatello, which will be broadcast live on Raiuno under the direction of Carlo Conti, they also focus on great honors. The David for Lifetime Achievement will go to Sandra Milo, the two David Speciali to Monica Bellucci and Diego Abatantuono and the David dello Spettatore a Tolo Tolo by Checco Zalone, the film that has grossed the most at the Italian box office in the last two years. During the evening, the health professionals Silvia Angeletti, Ivanna Legkar and Stefano Marongiu will receive 3 plaques named David 2021 – Recognition of Honor for the important contribution the filming of the activities of film and audiovisual productions during the Covid-19 crisis. The President and Artistic Director of the Academy of David di Donatello is Piera Detassis, while the Board of Directors is composed of Francesco Rutelli, Carlo Fontana, Nicola Borrelli, Francesca Cima, Luigi Lonigro, Mario Lorini, Domenico Dinoia, Edoardo De Angelis, Francesco Ranieri Martinotti and Giancarlo Leone. The 66th edition of the event takes place under the patronage of the President of the Republic with the contribution of MiC Ministry of Culture – Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, in agreement with AGIS and ANICA and with the participation of SIAE and Nuovo IMAIE as Supporting Founding Members. The David di Donatello 2021, which are 22, will award the films released in Italy from 1 January 2020 to 28 February 2021 not only through the cinema, but also through other alternative circuits such as streaming platforms.
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