The latest edition of the Filming Italy Venice Awards will take place on September 1st during the 81st Venice International Film Festival in the Sala degli Stucchi of the prestigious Hotel Excelsor. “We are constantly researching in order to offer the widest possible panorama to the public,” states founder Tiziana Rocca, “and we are awarding Italian cinema, TV series, directors and producers.”
Laura Chiatti, an actress who has worked with directors such as Sofia Coppola and Oscar winners such as Paolo Sorrentino and Giuseppe Tornatore will serve as event patron. The winner of the Filming Italy Achievement Music Award is Riccardo Cocciante, a singer-songwriter who is “one of the number one in international Italian music,” says Rocca, “his musical Notre Dame de Paris was a success abroad and now his collaboration with films is increasing more and more. It gives me great pleasure to award him, because music and cinema are a combination.”
Christopher Lambert, who will receive the Filming Italy Achievement International Award, is described as “an incredible talent, he has made some great movies, he has given us so much.”
This year, the production sector will also be recognized. Rocca explains, “We have also included the Filming Italy Producer Italian Award, because as PGE in Los Angeles we need to give visibility to producers who nevertheless invest and take care of the whole production chain. When a product is successful, the spotlight goes to the director and the actors, and the producers are mentioned less. I want to shine the spotlight on the producers: the award gives prominence to those who take risks with projects that can go well or badly. I wanted to do this to show the global landscape of what audiovisual production is.”
This year’s honorees include actors Alessandro Nivola, in competition in Venice with the film The Brutalist, and Franco Nero, Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, actresses Margherita Buy, Isabella Ferrari, Sonia Bergamasco and Cristiana Dell’Anna, star of the hit film Cabrini. Other winners include Annabel Scholey, Elijah Rowen and Jack McEvoy for their roles in the TV series Vikings, Sergio Castellitto, Miriam Leone, star of the TV series I Leoni di Sicilia, Alba Rohrwacher, Asia Argento, Barbara Ronchi, Kasia Smutniak, Vittoria Puccini, Matilde Gioli, Silvia D’Amico, and Vinicio Marchioni. The prize is awarded in collaboration with the magazine CIAK and the jury includes Alberto Barbera, Artistic Director of the Venice International Film Festival.
Tiziana Rocca is the director and founder of Filming Italy Los Angeles, Filming Italy Sardegna and Filming Italy Venice. She comments, “Being a woman complicates things, you have to work twice as hard, but I am used to that. And never give up. Then I’ve been doing Filming Italy Venice Award for many years, I’ve been doing this job for 26 years, it’s hard to always stay on top, always improve and be a reference point for the most prestigious events. It is a great challenge, a great effort and a great sacrifice, because it really means never giving up for a moment, leaving nothing to chance, taking care of every detail. Growth is always more difficult because you have to surpass yourself.”
