David di Donatello

David di Donatello Awards
The Italian former President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi shows the "David di Donatello" Award received at the occasion of the awards ceremony in 2005.
Awarded for	Italian Equivalent of the Academy Awards
Presented by	La Accademia del Cinema Italiano (The Italian Cinematic Academy)
Country	Italy
First awarded	1955
Official website	http://www.daviddidonatello.it/english/index.htm

David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.

History

The David di Donatello Awards were first given in Rome in the spring of 1955. Created by a cultural club (then called The Open Gate), the aim was to honour the best of each year’s Italian and foreign films, similar to the American Oscars. Similar prizes had already existed in Italy for about a decade (for example, the Silver Ribbons), but these were voted for by film critics and journalists. However, the Davids have been and are awarded by the people in the industry: screenwriters, performers, technicians, producers and so on.

After Rome, the ceremonies were held at the Greek Theatre in Taormina, then twice in Florence, and finally returned to Rome, always with the support of the President of the Republic and now with the collaboration of the Rome City Council Cultural Policies Department.

The founding organization, now called the David di Donatello Organization is fully functional and works in concert with and thanks to the contribution of the Italian Ministry of the Performing Arts and the Ministry for Cultural Properties and Activities.

The presidents have successively been Italo Gemini (the founder), Eitel Monaco and Paolo Grassi. Currently, it is presided over by Gian Luigi Rondi who has worked with the organization since its inception.

The prizes are awarded primarily to Italian films, with a category dedicated to foreign language films.

Award categories

• David di Donatello for Best Film
• David di Donatello for Best Director
• David di Donatello for Best New Director
• David di Donatello for Best Script
• David di Donatello for Best Producer
• David di Donatello for Best Actor
• David di Donatello for Best Actress
• David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor
• David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress
• David di Donatello for Best Cinematography
• David di Donatello for Best Score
• David di Donatello for Best Sets and Decorations
• David di Donatello for Best Costumes
• David di Donatello for Best Editing
• David di Donatello for Best Sound
• David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film
• David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director
• David di Donatello for Best European Film

External links

• Official website (Italian)
• Official website (English)
• David di Donatello Awards at Internet Movie Database
• David di Donatello Awards at Film Movement