24/10/2022 - The Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor awards went to the film by Latvian filmmaker Viesturs Kairišs, while Summer Scars was elected best film of Alice nella Città

January [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Latvian director Viesturs Kairišs is the big winner of the 17th edition of the Rome Film Festival, which this year returned to award its official prizes through the jury chaired by director and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi. The film, a Latvian-Lithuanian-Polish co-production about three aspiring filmmakers in 1991 Latvia invaded by Soviet tanks wanting to suppress the country's independence, won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor (Karlis Arnolds Avots). The second most important prize, the Grand Jury Prize, went to the South Korean title Jeong-sun by Jeong Ji-hye, which also won the Best Actress award (Kim Kum-Soon).

The stars of the Rome Film Fest, which this year saw a 24% increase in the number of tickets issued compared to last year for its 526 total screenings, were also Ramona [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Bagney
film profile] and Thunder [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carmen Jaquier
film profile]: the former, directed by Spain's Andrea Bagney, was awarded for its screenplay and received a Special Mention for Best Comedy; the latter, a debut feature by French director Carmen Jacquier, received a Special Jury Prize for Marine Atlan's photography and a Special Jury Mention for actress Lilith Grasmug. The two films also received two Special Mentions for Best First Feature from the jury chaired by director Julie Bertuccelli, who gave the Best First Feature award to American production Causeway by Lila Neugebauer, produced by and starring Jennifer Lawrence.

The Best Comedy, according to the jury presided over by filmmaker Carlo Verdone, was the British rom-com What's Love Got To Do With It? [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Shekhar Kapur, starring Emma Thompson; the Audience Award, voted by viewers via a special app and on the festival's official website, went to Shttl by Ady Walter.

The jury of 35 young people aged between 16 and 19 at Alice nella Città, the independent and autonomous section that this year recorded a 31% increase in audiences compared to pre-pandemic 2019 and a 70% growth in box office, elected Simon Rieth's Summer Scars [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Simon Rieth
film profile] as Best Film and awarded a Special Mention to Sophie Chiarello's The Circle. Other prize-winners in the section included Primadonna by Marta Savina (Raffaella Fioretta Award for Italian Cinema), The Worst Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romane Gueret and Lise Akoka
film profile] by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret (Best Young International Actor Award for Mallory Manecque) and Piano piano [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Nicola Prosatore (Best Young Italian Actor Award for Giuseppe Pirozzi). The first edition of the Corbucci Distribution Prize crowned the US film Signs Of Love by Clarence Fuller, starring Rosanna Arquette.

The awards:

Rome Film Fest

Best Film
January [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Viesturs Kairišs (Latvia/Lithuania/Poland)

Grand Jury Prize
Jeong-sun - Jeong Ji-hye (South Korea)

Best Director
January - Viesturs Kairišs

Best Actress – “Monica Vitti” Award
Kim Kum-Soon - Jeong-sun

Best Actor – “Vittorio Gassman” Award
Karlis Arnolds Avots - January

Best Screenplay
Andrea Bagney - Ramona [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Bagney
film profile] (Spain)

Special Jury Prize
Foudre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carmen Jaquier
film profile] - Carmen Jaquier (Switzerland) (for Marine Atlan’s cinematography)

Special Jury Mention
Lilith Grasmug - Thunder

Best Comedy
What’s Love Got To Do With It? [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Shekhar Kapur (United Kingdom)
Special Mention – “Ugo Tognazzi” Award
Ramona - Andrea Bagney

BNL BNP Paribas Best First Film Award
Causeway - Lila Neugebauer (United States)
Special Mention
Ramona - Andrea Bagney
Thunder - Carmen Jaquier

FS Audience Award
Shttl - Ady Walter (Ukraine/France)

Alice nella Città

Best Film Award
Summer Scars [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Simon Rieth
film profile] - Simon Rieth (France)

Special Mention
Il cerchio - Sophie Chiarello (Italy)

Raffaella Fioretta Award for Italian Cinema
Primadonna - Marta Savina (Italy)

Do-Cine Rising Star Award for Best International Young Actor
Mallory Manecque - The Worst Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romane Gueret and Lise Akoka
film profile] (France)

RB Casting Award for Best Italian Young Actor
Giuseppe Pirozzi - Piano piano [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy)

Special Mention
Lorenzo Richelmy -The Man on the Road [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy)

Corbucci Award
Signs Of Love - Clarence Fuller (United States)

Best Short Film Award
Torto marcio - Prospero Pensa (Italy)
Special Mention
File - Sonia K. Hadad (Iran)

Audience Award for Best Short Film
Caramelle - Matteo Panebarco (Italy)

(Translated from Italian)