The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's David, a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award categories, as of 2023.
The industry-voted awards are considered the Italian equivalent of the American Academy Awards and rank among top-tier awards such as the Premio Regia Televisiva for television, the Premio Ubu for stage performances, the Sanremo Music Festival, and the annual Venice Film Festival, which hosts the Golden Lion film award.
History
The David di Donatello film awards follow the same criteria as the American Academy Awards. The ceremony was established in 1955 in order to honour the best of each year's Italian and foreign films, and first awarded in Rome on 5 July 1956.
Similar prizes had already existed in Italy for about a decade, such as the Nastro d'Argento, but these were voted on by film critics and journalists. However, the Donatellos are awarded by people within the film industry, including actors, producers, directors, screenwriters, and technicians.
After Rome, from 1957 to 1980, the ceremony was held at the Greek Theatre in Taormina during Taormina Film Fest, then twice in Florence, finally returning to Rome, always with the support of the President of the Italian Republic and now with the collaboration of the Rome City Council cultural policies department. During the years 1950s, when the ceremony was held in Taormina, it was organized by journalist and film producer Michael Stern, who later went on to found The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation in New York City.
The founding organization, now called the Accademia del Cinema Italiano, works in concert with and thanks to the contribution of the Italian Ministry of Performing Arts and the Ministry for Cultural Properties and Activities.
The prizes are awarded primarily to Italian films, with a category dedicated to foreign-language films.
Presidents
Here is a list of presidents of the Academy of Italian Cinema:
† Died in office.
Trophy
The David di Donatello trophy is in the form of a gold David statuette, a replica of Donatello's famous sculpture, on a square malachite base with a gold plaque recording the award category, year, and winner.
The 1956 David by Bulgari, awarded to Gina Lollobrigida for Beautiful but Dangerous, was auctioned at Sotheby's in 2013.
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 Producer
David di Donatello for Best Actress
David di Donatello for Best Actor
David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress
David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor
David di Donatello for Best Original Screenplay
David di Donatello for Best Adapted Screenplay
David di Donatello for Best Cinematography
David di Donatello for Best Score
David di Donatello for Best Original Song
David di Donatello for Best Set Designer
David di Donatello for Best Costumes
David di Donatello for Best Makeup
David di Donatello for Best Hair Design
David di Donatello for Best Editing
David di Donatello for Best Sound
David di Donatello for Best Visual Effects VFX
David di Donatello for Best Documentary Feature
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film
David di Donatello for Best Short Film
David Youth Award (formerly known as David School Award) David Special Award (also known as David Career Award during some years) David Viewers' Award (since 2019)