Tornatore wins top Davids as filmmakers launch appeal

by Camillo de Marco

14/06/2007 - Giuseppe Tornatore has won the Best Film and Best Director David di Donatello Awards – Italy’s top film honours – for The Unknown [trailer], whose leading lady Xenia Rappoport also walked away with the Best Actress prize. Best Actor went to Elio Germano for My Brother is an Only Child [trailer, film focus] by Daniele Luchetti, who won the Best Screenplay award with Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia.

Best Debut Director was won by Kim Rossi Stuart for Along the Ridge [trailer, film focus], while producer Donatella Botti picked up an award for Salty Air [trailer] and Florian Henckel von Donnermarck’s The Lives of Others [trailer, film focus] was voted Best European Film.

Michele Placido also took the stage during the awards ceremony in the Gran Teatro of Tor di Quinto. “Today,” said the actor-director, “the president received the Centoautori delegation, which presented him with a letter-appeal asking for support for culture and cinema, signed by 944 directors, technicians and actors. For the first time in a long time those of us in the cinema decided all together to reaffirm the idea that culture is the fundamental element of our country. Without art, cinema and music, you can die of sadness. Good night!"

(Translated from Italian)