“Spotlight,” “Inside Out” among nominees for Italian Oscars

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 60th edition of the David di Donatello awards, Italy’s answer to the Oscars, are set to take place April 18, with best picture Oscar winner Spotlight competing for the prize of best foreign film alongside Inside Out, Bridge of Spies, Carol and Remember, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

Inside Out was the top film at the box office in Italy for 2015, and Spotlight was also a hit at the specialty film level, given the attention surrounding the Vatican.

Son of Saul, which won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, will vie for best European film honors with The Danish Girl, The Brand New Testament, 45 Years and Perfect Day.

Nominated for best picture are five Italian films: Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire at Sea, which took home the Golden Bear in Berlin; Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales; Claudio Caligari’s Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad); Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers; and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth.

Non essere cattivo, which was also Italy’s foreign-language film Oscar entry, secured the most Donatello mentions with 15. Youth received 14, and Tale of Tales received 12.

Ennio Morricone, who picked up his first competitive Oscar last month for scoring Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, is nominated for another film, Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Correspondence. The prolific composer has taken home 10 previous Donatello awards.

For the first time, the awards will air on Sky Italia, instead of on their longtime home RAI. The ceremony will air on the pay TV network's cinema channel, as well as on digital channel TV8.

The move marks Sky’s continued commitment to place itself within Italy’s burgeoning film industry, which may also include a push into theatrical distribution, according to recent media reports.