David di Donatello 2023, Geppi Cucciari with Ficarra and Picone “disrupt” the parlor of Italian cinema – Corriere.it

An unexpected hour and a half show (complete with a mini piano concert by Danilo Rea who played Morricone in the medley), and “unusual” jokes given the context, remove the cast at the traditional meeting at the Quirinale with the candidates for the David di Donatello awards which will be awarded tonight, live on Rai1. Geppi Cucciari he introduces with “on the edge”, breezy and irreverent ways, “into this discreet mansion with a discreet color scheme”. After a mistake she listens to a murmur and says, «getting bullied by Margherita Buy, we needed this. Spielberg isn’t there? Alright, let’s give them a round of applause, we’re elegant»; he notes that «comment
the film by Nanni Moretti
even by those who have not seen it», is the catchphrase of these days.

And then turning to the President Mattarella: «It’s nice to find her again after she enthusiastically accepted the reappointment, when they re-elected her she had a mask for Covid, so it wasn’t seen that she had a single expression. Today he could have been free and instead he’s still here at work: for us, with us, with little time for recreation and, instead of going to the cinema, he made actors and directors come here. You are always on tour, yesterday with Morandi in the Senate, now here, who knows tomorrow you will go to the bowling alley with Mastrota ». Mattarella underlines his “not easy task” of reading the quintet by putting panache and humour, then recalls that «Cinema is imagination and history, emotion and culture, leisure, dream, freedom. It is a heritage of professionalism and artistic creation that has generated knowledge and shared perceptions»; says that “cinema hasn’t stopped during the pandemic”, that “the audiovisual is an engine of the national economy” and “you don’t need to have innovation but you need to govern it: cinema can acquire new formats but it cannot give up himself”.

On the halls «the comparison with neighboring countries sees us behind», and encourages our New Cinema Paradiso not to give up. Alongside the gotha ​​of cinema, and Rutelli, Giambrone of Agis, Sgarbi, there is Carlo Fuortes who has just resigned as CEO of Rai. Here is the president of the Davids, Piera Detassis: «I continue to consider Geppi a friend despite this introduction. Let’s get serious.” Her speech is beautiful but a little long on the importance of «this meeting between institutions, industry and art», certain that the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano «will share such an important sense of belonging». She remembers that in the summer there will be a large offer in theaters
with discounted pricessays that this is «an extraordinary edition, not taken for granted and with some surprises», and the special Davids, «almost without intending it», bring together three great families of cinema: Marina Cicogna, Isabella Rossellini, Enrico Vanzina.

Minister Sangiuliano, a little stiff, understands that cinema sees “red” and is not his world, reads his speech: “The name of this award is an implicit acknowledgment that the arts are a very ancient family where cinema entered just under a century and a half ago». And he quotes David, «hero of the Bible, victim of the helpless little ones against the big ones in arms»; and he says, looking at actors and directors, that “among your tasks, whether you are aware of it or not, you cooperate in the construction of widespread self-awareness”.
Salvo Ficarra and Valentino Picone at the David di Donatello are the surprise, the comic card that shuffles the deck in the good (and often frowning) living room of Italian cinema. They had only been nominated in 2007, as debutants, for the film “The 7 and the 8”. Yet they recited Aristophanes among the ancient stones of Syracuse.

But the wind of power blows elsewhere, and in short, there are few prizes to hold in one’s hands, many applause and acknowledgments from the public. Pirandello was needed to bring them to the Quirinaleand the touch of genius introduced by Roberto went: “The strangeness” is second as a nominationhas 14, against 18 of Night exterior by Marco Bellocchio, accustomed to these ceremonies. The two chat amiably. And therefore, seated between Fabrizio Gifuni and Alessandro Borghi, carrying with them a Sicilian cadence and accent, are Ficarra and Picone, who wander among the pastries on the buffet following the official speeches punctuated by the applause that resounds at each amplified citation of the candidates, who from their chairs they get up, smile and sit down again in silence, amid clapping strengthened by the procession of their employees.

The two say that making films “was a dream”, which at the beginning of his career «was such an unattainable thing that we didn’t even dare to think about it». Here they are, before the President of the Republic and their countryman Sergio Mattarella. They appear excited but at ease, friendly and smiling as always; here they are, escaping from their characters who ooze paradoxes with an irresistible, caustic and gentle humanity, which overturns the stereotypes of the South; here they are fully dressed, surrounded by solemnity and tapestries, away from their films. In fact, Salvo doesn’t have outward eyes, a watchful gaze and the strength of instinct, and Valentino is not dazed and reflective. They are «only» two actors who offer themselves in the nudity of an innate talent on the hill where the Italian flag flies.

Maybe for break the ice they would like to take a selfie with the cuirassiers but how do you do it, and they exchange smiles and hands and a few hugs with Mario Martone, Gianni Amelio and Michele Placido, their set mate Toni Servillo and Margherita Buy, Claudia Pandolfi with her overflowing sympathy and her authenticity, the outsider Barbara Ronchi and Giovanna Mezzogiorno who find it hard to see her candidate among the supporting actresses (for «Amanda»), and then Fabrizio Gifuni for years on the secrets of Aldo Moro, Luca Marinelli the handsome , very fat and with his hat on because he is bald for script requirements (he is shooting the series on Mussolini), and Alessandro Borghi the handsome and that’s it, the two are fellow adventurers in “Eight mountains”, and so on, listing among the 26 Italian films that have received nominations, in the rain of names of this gloomy Roman day so full of expectations. Today, at least today, hoping for a less sad and serious ceremony than usual, let’s not talk about empty theaters and the cinema crisis.