Il Divo with Toni Servillo as Giulio Andreotti. Update: One of the very best movies of the year, in the U.S. Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo struck and vanished like lightning (minus the fiery impact). But those who appreciate great filmmaking and great acting, should enjoy Sorrentino’s darkly humorous take on the cunning, conniving, scheming Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, magisterially played by Best Actor David di Donatello winner Toni Servillo.
David di Donatello Awards 2009: Matteo Garrone’s mafia drama Gomorrah named Best Film
Matteo Garrone’s organized crime drama Gomorrah, based on Roberto Saviano’s polemical book, took top honors at the 2009 David di Donatello awards. The Italian Film Academy voted Gomorrah the best Italian film of the year and Garrone the best director, in addition to handing the film five other awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Producer.
Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo, which also deals (however indirectly) with the mafia, also received a total of seven statues (out of 16 nominations), including the best actor trophy for star Toni Servillo’s brilliant caricature of former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, and a Best Supporting Actress win for Piera Degli Espositi.
Last year, Gomorrah won the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix while Sorrentino’s Il Divo was awarded the Special Jury Prize. Italy’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, Gomorrah surprisingly failed to be included in the list of final Oscar nominees.
According to Variety, Gomorrah has grossed more than $25 million internationally, with about half its take originating from outside Italy.
Among the other David winners were best actress Alba Rohrwacher (above, with Silvio Orlando), for her portrayal of a young woman locked up in a Fascist-era mental institution in Pupi Avati’s Giovanna’s Father; best first-time director (and Gomorrah co-screenwriter) Gianni Di Gregorio for Mid-August Lunch; best supporting actor Giuseppe Battiston for Don’t Think About It; and Young David winner Giulio Manfredonia for We Can Do That.
Also, the Best European Union Film was Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, while the best foreign film was Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino.
Veteran actress Virna Lisi was one of this year’s winners of the Italian Academy’s Honorary Awards.
Fausto Brizzi’s Many Kisses Later, nominated in ten categories, went home empty-handed.
David di Donatello 2009 Nominations Article: Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo, a biopic of former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, and Matteo Garrone’s organized crime thriller Gomorrah, both starring Toni Servillo, were the top nominees for the Italian Academy’s 2009 David di Donatello awards.
Il Divo led the field with 16 nominations, followed by Gomorrah with 11. Both films, which are in the running in the best picture category, have already won several international awards: Il Divo received the Special Jury Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and a European Film Award for best actor Toni Servillo (also for Gomorrah); Gomorrah won Cannes’ Grand Prix and five European Film Awards, including best film and Servillo’s shared best actor prize. Gomorrah was also Italy’s submission for the 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, but was surprisingly bypassed at nomination time.
Others vying for the David di Donatello for best film are Fausto Brizzi’s romance Ex, starring Alessandro Gassman; Paolo Virzi’s comedy Tutta la Vita Davanti / Her Whole Life Ahead, about a recent university graduate trying to get work in Italy’s increasingly ruthless job market; and Giulio Manfredonia’s comedy about mental institutions, Si può fare / You Can Do It.
Sorrentino, Garrone, Brizzi, and Manfredonia also received nominations for Best Director, along with Pupi Avati for Giovanna’s Father.
Among the acting nominees in the lead categories are Servillo for Il Divo (but not for Gomorrah); two-time David di Donatello winner Silvio Orlando for Giovanna’s Father, for which he received the best actor prize at the 2008 Venice Film Festival; and Valeria Golino as a night teacher with a secret in Giulia non esce la sera.
Among the nominees for Best European Union film are Slumdog Millionaire and Waltz with Bashir, while Milk and WALL-E are among those in the running for the best foreign film David.
The David di Donatello awards ceremony will take place on May 8. 2009 David di Donatello Award nominations: April 9, 2009
David di Donatello Awards 2009: Winners & nominations
Best Film
Il Divo – Prod.: Andrea Occhipinti, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Maurizio Coppolecchia; Dir.: Paolo Sorrentino.
* Gomorrah / Gomorra – Prod.: Domenico Procacci; Dir.: Matteo Garrone
Many Kisses Later / Ex – Prod.: Fulvio Lucisano & Federica Lucisano; Dir.: Fausto Brizzi
We Can Do That / Si può fare – Prod.: Angelo Rizzoli; Dir.: Giulio Manfredonia
Your Whole Life Ahead of You / Tutta la vita davanti – Prod.: Motorino Amaranto; Dir.: Paolo VirzìBest European Union Film
The Class / Entre les murs – Dir.: Laurent Cantet
Lemon Tree / ‘Etz Limon – Dir.: Eran Riklis
The Reader – Dir.: Stephen Daldry
* Slumdog Millionaire – Dir.: Danny Boyle
Waltz with Bashir / Vals Im Bashir – Dir.: Ari FolmanBest Foreign Film
* Gran Torino – Dir.: Clint Eastwood
Milk – Dir.: Gus Van Sant
The Visitor – Dir.: Tom McCarthy
WALL-E – Dir.: Andrew Stanton
The Wrestler – Dir.: Darren AronofskyBest Documentary Feature
Come un uomo sulla terra – Dir.: Andrea Segre & Dagmawi Yimer, in collaboration with Riccardo Biadene
Diario de un curato di montagna – Dir.: Stefano Saverioni
211: Anna – Dir.: Giovanna Massimetti & Paolo Serbandini
Non tacere – Dir.: Fabio Grimaldi
* Rata nece biti (La guerra non ci sarà) – Dir.: Daniele GaglianoneBest Director
Pupi Avati – Giovanna’s Father / Il papa di Giovanna
Fausto Brizzi – Many Kisses Later
* Matteo Garrone – Gomorrah
Giulio Manfredonia – We Can Do That
Paolo Sorrentino – Il DivoBest Actor
Luca Argentero – Different from Whom? / Diverso da chi?
Claudio Bisio – We Can Do That
Valerio Mastandrea – Don’t Think About It / Non pensarci
Silvio Orlando – Giovanna’s Father
* Tony Servillo – Il DivoBest Actress
Donatella Finocchiaro – The Brave Men / Galantuomini
Claudia Gerini – Different from Whom?
Valeria Golino – Giulia Doesn’t Date at Night / Giulia non esce la sera
Ilaria Occhini – Black Sea / Mar Nero
* Alba Rohrwacher – Giovanna’s FatherBest Supporting Actress
* Piera Degli Esposti – Il Divo
Sabrina Ferilli – Your Whole Life Ahead of You
Maria Nazionale – Gomorrah
Micaela Ramazzotti – Your Whole Life Ahead of You
Carla Signoris – Many Kisses LaterBest Supporting Actor
* Giuseppe Battiston – Don’t Think About It
Claudio Bisio – Many Kisses Later
Carlo Buccirosso – Il Divo
Luca Lionello – Cover Boy… Last Revolution / Cover Boy – l’ultima rivoluzione
Filippo Nigro – Different from Whom?Best Screenplay
Il Divo – Paolo Sorrentino
Gomorrah – Roberto Saviano, Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni Di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone & Massimo Gaudioso
Many Kisses Later – Fausto Brizzi, Marco Martani & Massimiliano Bruno
We Can Do That – Fabio Bonifacci & Giulio Manfredonia
Your Whole Life Ahead of You – Francesco Bruni & Paolo VirziBest New Director
Marco Amenta – The Sicilian Girl / La siciliana ribelle
Umberto Carteni – Different from Whom?
Tony Dangelo – Una notte
* Gianni Di Gregorio – Pranzo di ferragosto
Marco Pontecorvo – PA-RA-DABest Producer
Cover Boy… Last Revolution – Augusto Allegra, Isabella Cocuzza, Giuliana Gamba & Arturo Paglia
Il Divo – Andrea Occhipinti, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Maurizio Coppolecchia
* Gomorrah – Domecìnico Procacci
Mid-August Lunch / Pranzo di ferragosto – Matteo Garrone
We Can Do That – Angelo RizzoliBest Cinematography
As God Commands – Italo Petriccione
Caravaggio – Vittorio Storaro
The Demons of St. Petersburg / I demoni di San Pietroburgo – Arnaldo Catinari
* Il Divo – Luca Bigazzi
Gomorrah – Marco OnoratoBest Film Editing
Il Divo – Cristiano Travaglioli
Giulia Doesn’t Date at Night – Esmeralda Calabria
* Gomorrah – Marco Spoletini
Many Kisses Later – Luciana Pandolfelli
We Can Do That – Cecilia ZanusoBest Score
* Il Divo – Teho Teardo
Giulia Doesn’t Date at Night – Baustelle
Italians – Paolo Buonvino
Many Kisses Later – Bruno Zambrini
We Can Do That – Pivio (Roberto Pischiutta) & Aldo De ScalziBest Production Design
Caravaggio – Giantito Burchiellaro
* The Demons of St. Petersburg – Francesco Frigeri
Il Divo – Lino Fiorito
Gomorrah – Paolo Bonfini
Wild Blood / Sanguepazzo – Giancarlo BasiliBest Costume Design
Caravaggio – Lia Morandini
* The Demons of St. Petersburg – Elisabetta Montaldo
Il Divo – Daniela Ciancio
Giovanna’s Father – Mario Carlini & Francesco Crivellini
Gomorrah – Alessandra CardiniBest Original Song
“Il cielo ha una porta sola,” Many Kisses Later – music, lyrics & performer: Biagio Antonacci
* “Herculaneum,” Gomorrah – music: Robert Del Naja; lyrics: Neil Davidge & Euan Dickinson; performers: Robert Del Naja & Neil Davidge
“Per fare a meno di te,” Just a Father / Solo un padre – music: Giorgia (Trodani) & Fabrizio Campanelli, lyrics & performer: Giorgia
“Piangi Roma,” Giulia Doesn’t Date at Night – music & lyrics: Francesco Bianconi; performers: Baustelle & Valeria Golino
“Senza farsi male,” The Man Who Loves / L’uomo che ama – music & lyrics: Fabio Abate; performer: Carmen ConsoliBest Visual Effects
As God Commands – EDI – Effeti Digitali Italiani
The Demons of St. Petersburg – Frame by Frame
* Il Divo – Nicola Sganga & Rodolfo Migliari for Vision
Italians – Giuseppe Squillaci
Your Whole Life Ahead of You – ProximaBest Sound
Il Divo – Emanuele Cecere
* Gomorrah – Maricetta Lombardo
Italians – Gaetano Carito, Marco Grillo & Bruno Pupparo
Many Kisses Later – Marco Fiumara
We Can Do That – Bruno PupparoBest Makeup
Caravaggio – Alessandro Bertolazzi
The Demons of St. Petersburg – Luigi Rocchetti
* Il Divo – Vittorio Sodano
The Ladies Get Their Say / Due partite – Vincenzo Mastrantonio
Wild Blood – Enrico IacoponiBest Hair Stylist
Caravaggio – Enzo Cera
The Demons of St. Petersburg – Mirella Ginnoto
* Il Divo – Aldo Signoretti
The Ladies Get Their Say – Ferdinando Merolla
Wild Blood – Maria Teresa CorridoniBest Narrative Short
L’amore è un giogo – Dir.: Andrea Rovetta
* L’arbitro – Dir.: Paolo Zucca
Bisesto – Dir.: Giovanni Esposito & Francesco Prisco
Cicatrici – Dir.: Eros Achiardi
La madonna della frutta – Dir.: Paola RandiYouth David Award
Just a Father – Dir.: Luca Lucini
Many Kisses Later – Dir.: Fausto Brizzi
Pa-ra-da – Dir.: Marco Pontecorvo
The Sicilian Girl – Dir.: Marco Amenta
We Can Do That – Dir.: Giulio ManfredoniaSpecial David
Christian De Sica (for 25 years of successful Christmas comedies)Career David
Virna Lisi
Fulvio Lucisano
Paolo Villaggio
notes
*last modified in January 2026.