Maura Delpero’s Italian WW2 drama Vermiglio won best film at the 70th David Di Donatello awards, Italy’s version of the Oscars, held at Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studio on Wednesday night. Delpero also took best directing honors en route to a 7-trophy sweep.
The film, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival last year, beat out the two award frontrunners, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, a sumptuous, occasionally surreal tribute to his hometown of Naples, and Andrea Segre’s The Great Ambition, a political biopic about Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer, which lead the pack going into the David awards with 15 nominations each. Parthenope went away empty-handed, but The Great Ambition took two awards: Best actor for Elio Germano, who play Berlinguer, and best editing for Jacopo Quadri.
Tecla Insolia won best actress for her starring role in Nicolangelo Gelormini’s Sicilian period drama L’arte della gioia (The Art of Joy). Francesco Di Leva took best supporting actor for Francesco Costabile’s thriller. The David for best debut feature went to Margherita Vicario for Gloria!, a period drama about an all-female orchestra at a Church-run establishment in early-1800s Italy.
Timothée Chalamet added some Hollywood glam to the awards, attending the ceremony to receive an honorary David for “cinematic excellence.” The lifetime achievement honor went to writer-director Pupi Avati (Giovanna’s Father, Incanto). Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) received a special 70th anniversary David award.
In the best international film category, Sean Baker’s multi-Oscar winner Anora added a David to its trophy case.
Check out the full list of 2025 David Di Donatello winners below.
Best Film
The Great Ambition, dir: Andrea Segre
The Time It Takes, dir: Francesca Comencini
L’arte della gioia prodotto, dir: Valeria Golino
Parthenope, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
Vermiglio, dir: Maura Delpero WINNER
Best Director
Andrea Segre for The Great Ambition
Francesca Comencini for The Time It Takes
Valeria Golino for L’arte della gioia
Paolo Sorrentino for Parthenope
Maura Delpero for Vermiglio WINNER
Best Directorial Debut
Ciao bambino Edgardo Pistone
Gloria! Margherita Vicario WINNER
I bambini di Gaza Loris Lai
Io e il Secco Gianluca Santoni
Zamora Neri Marcorè
Best Original Screenplay
Andrea Segre, Marco Pettenello for The Great Ambition
Enrico Maria Artale for El Paraiso
Margherita Vicario, Anita Rivaroli for Gloria!
Francesca Comencini for The Time It Takes
Paolo Sorrentino for Parthenope
Maura Delpero for Vermiglio WINNER
Best Adapted Screenplay
Gianni Amelio, Alberto Taraglio for Battlefield
Francesco Costabile, Vittorio Moroni, Adriano Chiarelli for Familia
Roberto Proia for The Boy With Pink Trousers
Valeria Golino, Francesca Marciano, Valia Santella, Luca Infascelli, Stefano Sardo for L’arte della gioia WINNER
Gabriele Salvatores for Napoli – New York
Best Producer
The Great Ambition: Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa for Vivo Film, Francesco Bonsembiante for Jolefilm, Rai Cinema, Joseph Rouschop for Tarantula, Martichka Bozhilova for Agitprop
Ciao bambino: Gaetano Di Vaio, Giovanna Crispino for Bronx Film, Alessandro Elia, Walter De Majo for Anemone Film, Andrea Leone, Antonella Di Martino for Mosaicon Film, Santo Versace, Gianluca Curti for Minerva Pictures
Gloria!: Valeria Jamonte, Manuela Melissano, Carlo Cresto-Dina for Tempesta, Rai Cinema, Katrin Renz for Tellfilm
Vermiglio: Francesca Andreoli, Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli, Santiago Fondevila Sancet, Maura Delpero for Cinedora, Rai Cinema, Charades (coproduction with la Francia), Versus (coproduction with il Belgio) WINNER
Vittoria: Nanni Moretti, Lorenzo Cioffi, Giorgio Giampà, in collaboration with Alessandra Stefani
Best Actress
Barbara Ronchi for Familia
Romana Maggiora Vergano for The Time It Takes
Tecla Insolia for L’arte della gioia WINNER
Celeste Dalla Porta for Parthenope
Martina Scrinzi for Vermiglio
Best Actor
Elio Germano for The Great Ambition WINNER
Francesco Gheghi for Familia
Fabrizio Gifuni for Il tempo che ci vuole
Silvio Orlando for Parthenope
Tommaso Ragno for Vermiglio
Best Supporting Actress
Geppi Cucciari for Diamanti
Tecla Insolia for Familia
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi for L’arte della gioia WINNER
Jasmine Trinca for L’arte della gioia
Luisa Ranieri for Parthenope
Best Supporting Actor
Roberto Citran for The Great Ambition
Francesco Di Leva for Familia WINNER
Guido Caprino for L’arte della gioia
Pierfrancesco Favino for Napoli – New York
Peppe Lanzetta for Parthenope
Best Casting
Stefania De Santis for The Great Ambition
Anna Pennella for Familia
Massimo Appolloni for Gloria!
Francesco Vedovati, Anna Maria Sambucco, Massimo Appolloni for L’arte della gioia
Stefania Rodà, Maurilio Mangano for Vermiglio WINNER
Best Cinematography
Luan Amelio Ujkaj for Battlefield
Matteo Cocco for Dostoevskij
Daniele Ciprì for Hey Joe
Fabio Cianchetti for L’arte della gioia
Daria D’Antonio for Parthenope
Mikhail Krichman for Vermiglio WINNER
Best Score
Iosonouncane for The Great Ambition
Thom Yorke for Trust
Margherita Vicario, Davide Pavanello for Gloria! WINNER
Colapesce for Sicilian Letters
Nicola Piovani for The Children’s Train
Best Original Song
“Knife Edge” – Music, Thom Yorke text and interpretation, for Trust
“Diamanti” – Music Giuliano Taviani, Carmelo Travia, text Giorgia Todrani, interpretation Giorgia for Diamanti
“Atoms” – Music and text Valerio Vigliar, interpretation Greta Zuccoli for Familia
“Aria!” – Music and text Margherita Vicario, Davide Pavanello, Edwyn Clark Roberts, Andrea Bonomo, Gianluigi Fazio, interpretation Margherita Vicario for Gloria! WINNER
“La malvagità” – Music and text Colapesce for The Sicilian Letters
Best Production Design
Alessandro Vannucci, Laura Casalini for The Great Ambition
Luca Merlini, Giulietta Rimoldi for L’arte della gioia
Tonino Zera, Maria Grazia Schirripa, Carlotta Desmann for The Flood WINNER
Carmine Guarino, Iole Autero for Parthenope
Pirra, Vito Giuseppe Zito, Sara Pergher for Vermiglio
Best Costume
Mary Montalto for Gloria!
Maria Rita Barbera for L’arte della gioia
Massimo Cantini Parrini for The Flood WINNER
Carlo Poggioli for Parthenope
Andrea Cavalletto for Vermiglio
Best Makeup
Sara Morlando, Rossella Sicignano, Leonardo Cruciano, Viola Moneta for The Great Ambition
Maurizio Fazzini for L’arte della gioia
Alessandra Vita, Valentina Visintin for The Flood WINNER
Paola Gattabrusi, Lorenzo Tamburini for Parthenope
Frédérique Foglia for Vermiglio
Best Hair
Desiree Corridoni for The Great Ambition
Marta Iacoponi, Carla Indoni for Gloria!
Aldo Signoretti, Domingo Santoro for The Flood WINNER
Marco Perna for Parthenope
Tiziana Argiolas for Vermiglio
Best Editing
Jacopo Quadri for The Great Ambition WINNER
Walter Fasano for Dostoevskij
Giogiò Franchini for L’arte della gioia
Cristiano Travaglioli for Parthenope
Luca Mattei for Vermiglio
Best Sound
Alessandro Palmerini, Marc Bastien, Vincent Grégorio, Franco Piscopo for The Great Ambition
Emanuele Cicconi, Alessandro Feletti, Alessandro Giacco, Marco Falloni for Battlefield
Xavier Lavorel, Daniela Bassani, François Wolf, Maxence Ciekawy for Gloria!
Emanuele Cecere, Silvia Moraes, Mirko Perri, Michele Mazzucco for Parthenope
Dana Farzanehpour, Hervé Guyader, Hervé Guyader, Emmanuel De Boissieu for Vermiglio WINNER
Best Visual Effects
Tristan Lilien, Michel Denis for The Great Ambition
Francesco Niolu, Rodolfo Migliari for L’arte della gioia
Fabio Tomassetti, Daniele Tomassetti for Limonov
Victor Perez for Napoli – New York WINNER
Rodolfo Migliari, Lena Di Gennaro for Parthenope
Best Documentary
Duse – The Greatest, dir: Sonia Bergamasco
The Secret Drawer, dir: Costanza Quatriglio
L’occhio della gallina, dir: Antonietta De Lillo
Lirica Ucraina, dir: Francesca Mannocchi WINNER
Prima della fine – Gli ultimi giorni di Enrico Berlinguer, dir: Samuele Rossi
Best International Film
Anora, dir: Sean Baker WINNER
Conclave, dir: Edward Berger
Juror #2, dir: Clint Eastwood
The Zone of Interest, dir: Jonathan Glazer
Perfect Days, dir: Wim Wenders