David Di Donatellos: ‘Vermiglio’ Wins Best Film & Director As Timothée Chamalet Feted With Honorary Award

Maura Delpero’s Vermilion took home Best Film and Director at the 70th edition of Italy’s David di Donatello Awards on Wednesday evening, in a historic win for a female director.

Delpero is the first woman to win the David di Donatello Best Director prize in the history of the awards, and only the third female filmmaker to win Best Film.

Set in a remote mountain village in 1944, Vermiglio revolves around a family whose life is disrupted by the arrival of a deserted soldier. The feature world premiered in Venice where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and went on to be Italy’s 2025 Oscars submission.

Other big winners of the night included Italian actress and singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario who won Best First Film, Composer and Song for feature directorial Gloria.

The film, which debuted in Berlin in 2024, is set in Venice at the end of the 1700s and revolves around an orphanage and music conservatory for girls, where the young charges are trained to the highest standard but denied the right to shine in the wider world

The ceremony unfolding in Theater 5 of Rome’s Cinecittà studios kicked off just hours after the beginning of papal conclave in the Vatican City on the other side of the city, to decide the next head of the Roman Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis.

Despite recent a spike in popularity for Edward Berger’s timely drama Conclavethe film lost out to Sean Baker’s Aor in the Best International Film category.

_{Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner attend 70th David Di Donatello}

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

In other highlights Timothée Chalamet, who touched down in Rome with Kylie Jenner and his father, received a Special David Award for Cinematic Excellence, alongside Italian actress Ornella Muti.

Asked on stage about his ties to Italy through Luca Guadagnino, who cast him in his breakout role in Call Me By Your NameChalamet replied: “Luca is probably the most important person in my career.”

He went on to joke that he if had not gone into acting he would have racked up a “better scoring” record than Italian soccer legend Francesco Totti.

Further honoraries included director Director Pupi Avati, who was feted with a Career Achievement Prize, while Monica Bellucci presented Giuseppe Tornatore with a Special Cinecittà Prize marking the David di Donatello’s 70th edition.

The David di Donatello prize for the most viewed Italian film went to Ferzan Ozpetek’s Diamonds.

The Full List of Winners

Best Film
Vermiglio, Maura Delpero

Best Director
Maura Delpero, Vermiglio

Best Directorial Debut
Gloria!Margherita Vicario

Best Original Screenplay
VermilionMaura delpero

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Art of Joy, Valeria Golino, Francesca Marciano, Valia Santella, Luca Infascelli, Stefano Sardo

Best Producer
VermilionFrancesca Andreoli, Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli, Santiago Fondevila Sancet, Maura Delpero for Cinedora, with Rai Cinema, in Collaboration with Charades (France), Versus (Belgium)

Best Actress
The Art Of JoyTecla Insolia

Best Actor
The Great AmbitionElio Germano

Best Supporting Actress
The Art of JoyValeria Bruni Tedeschi

Best Supporting Actor
Familia, Francesco Di Leva

Best Casting
Vermiglio, Stefania Rodà, Maurilio Mangano

Best Cinematography
Vermiglio, Mikhail Krichman

Best Composer
The Gloria !. She Margaple Vicario, Davide Thery, Baby Singure

Best Original Song
Glory! Aria!

Best Art Direction
The Flood, Tonino Zera, Maria Grazia Schirripa, Carlotta Desmann

Best Costumes
The FloodMassimo Cantini Parrini

Best Make-up
The FloodAlesserta lives, valentina visitin

Best Hair
The FloodAldo Signoretti, Domingo Santoro