‘The Last One For The Road’ Leads Italy’s David Awards Nominations

Francesco Sossai’s sophomore feature “The Last One For The Road,” which launched from Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, is the shock frontrunner for Italy’s David di Donatello Awards, the nation’s top movie prizes.

“For The Road,” which follows two broke 50-somethings who’re small-time and befriend a shy structure scholar, scored a whopping 16 nominations across all the main classes. The movie will open in the U.S. by way of Music Box at Lincoln Center and IFC Center in New York on May 1, and then develop to other cities nationwide.

“The Last One For The Road” is produced by Marta Donzelli and Gregorio Paonessa for Vivo movie with RAI Cinema (Italy), in co-production with Philipp Kreuzer for Maze Pictures (Germany) and Cecilia Trautvetter.

The other David di Donatello frontrunners are Paolo Sorrentino’s Venice opener “La Grazia,” that re-teams the Oscar-winning director with “The Great Beauty” actor Toni Servillo, with 14 nominations; and Silvio Soldini’s WW2 drama “The Tasters,” about German women pressured to style Hitler’s Food, with 13.

“La Grazia” was launched in North American cinemas by Mubi in December. 

They are adopted by Pietro Marcello’s Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi-starrer “Duse,” about Italian theater star Eleonora Duse and Mario Martone’s drama set in 1980 Rome that depicts a particular interval in the lifetime of feminist author Goliarda Sapienza, each with eight noms each.

Gabriele Mainetti’s Rome-set Kung-Fu Movie “The Forbidden City” and Antonio Vivaldi film “Primavera,” helmed by Damiano Michieletto, each scooped seven noms.

The 71st David di Donatello awards will happen in Cinecittà on May 6.