Author-Driven Narratives Dominate the 70th David di Donatello Nominations

The upcoming 70th edition of the David di Donatello Awards is shaping up to be a party of auteur cinema, with four prominent directors leading the nominations. Paolo sorrentino’s Parthenope, Andrea Segre’s Berlinguer – The great ambition, Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio, and Valeria golino’s The Art of Joy are the frontrunners, collectively garnering just under sixty nominations.This year’s selection highlights a focus on artistic merit and directorial vision,potentially diverging from pure box office success.

The Leading Contenders

Andrea Segre and Paolo Sorrentino are tied with fifteen nominations each, closely followed by Valeria Golino and Maura Delpero, who each received fourteen. Notably,Golino and Delpero represent the female voices in this leading quartet. Following closely behind are Margherita Vicario’s Gloria! with nine nominations, Francesco Costabile’s Familia with eight, and Francesca Comencini’s The time It Takes with six.

Box Office Success vs. Critical Acclaim

While Sorrentino’s Parthenope has enjoyed significant commercial success, grossing over seven million euros, the other nominated films have had varying degrees of box office impact.golino’s The Art of Joy, initially previewed at the Cannes Film Festival and later released in two parts in cinemas before its February 2025 release, presents a unique case for evaluation.This raises questions about the balance between commercial appeal and artistic recognition in the awards selection process. According to recent data from the Italian Ministry of Culture, autonomous films often struggle to compete with blockbuster productions in terms of box office revenue, despite their critical acclaim.

Notable Omissions and Surprises

The nominations have sparked debate, with some observers noting the absence of Ferzan Ozpetek’s Diamonds, a film that grossed over sixteen million euros and secured the sixth-highest box office position of the year. Diamonds only received nominations for Best Original Song and Best Supporting Actress (Geppi Cucciari). Similarly, margherita Ferri’s The Boy from the Pink Trousers, a surprise box office hit of 2024 with nearly ten million euros in revenue, only received two nominations for Original Screenplay and Original Screenplay to Roberto Proia. These omissions have fueled discussions about the criteria used in the selection process.

Academy’s Perspective on the Selection Process

The candidates for the 70th david di Donatello Awards were revealed at Cinecittà in the Federico Fellini room. Piera Detassis, President and Artistic Director of the academy of Italian Cinema, defended the selections, emphasizing the films’ participation in prestigious festivals and their exceptional artistic qualities.

They are all films that participated in important festivals or that revealed remarkable qualities from the point of artistic view. There are then 1780 people to ask this question, evidently there was a precise choice of quality and style. I repeat however that it is important to understand that never as in the case of the David is the cinema that votes.
Piera detassis, President and Artistic Director of the Academy of Italian Cinema

Detassis highlighted that the selection process involves a large body of voters (1780 people), suggesting a deliberate emphasis on quality and style. She underscored that the David di Donatello Awards are primarily steadfast by the votes of cinema professionals.

Awards Ceremony Details

The David di Donatello Awards ceremony will be broadcast live from Cinecittà on Rai 1 on Wednesday, May 7th, during prime time. The event will be hosted by actress Elena Sofia Ricci and singer Mika, marking their debut as a hosting duo, succeeding Carlo Conti.