David di Donatello


The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's David, are film awards given out each year by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano. There are 26 award categories as of 2020.
It is the Italian equivalent to the American Academy Awards and ranks among top-tier awards such as the Premio Regia Televisiva for television, the Premio Ubu for stage performances, the Sanremo Music Festival for music, and the annual Venice Film Festival.

History

Following the same criteria as the Academy Awards, the David di Donatello Awards were established in 1955 and first awarded in Rome on 5 July 1956. Created by a cultural club, the aim was to honour the best of each year's Italian and foreign films.
Similar prizes had already existed in Italy for about a decade, but these were voted for by film critics and journalists. However, the Donatellos are awarded by people within the industry: screenwriters, performers, technicians, producers, and so on.
After Rome, from 1957 to 1980, the ceremonies were held at the Greek Theatre in Taormina during Taormina Film Fest, 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. During the years the ceremony was held in Taormina during the 1950s, 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 the Performing Arts and the Ministry for Cultural Properties and Activities.
The presidents have successively been Italo Gemini, Eitel Monaco, Paolo Grassi, Gian Luigi Rondi, Giuliano Montaldo, and currently, Piera Detassis.
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:
PresidentStartEndNotes
Italo Gemini19551970
Eitel Monaco19711977
Paolo Grassi19781980
Gian Luigi Rondi19812016†President for life since 2009
Giuliano Montaldo20162017Interim
Piera Detassis2018currentFirst female to hold the office

† Died in office.

Trophy

The trophy is in the form of a gold David statuette 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

Multiple prize-winning actors

As of 2018, with seven awards each, Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi, and Margherita Buy are the actors who have won the most Davids.