2 David di Donatello 2018 for A CIAMBRA by Jonas Carpignano

Last night was full of emotions for the TFL Community: the Academy of Italian Cinema decided to assign 2 David di Donatello Awards – the most important Italian prizes – to the TFL Film A CIAMBRA by Jonas Carpignano: Best Director and Best Editing!

A CIAMBRA is the second feature film of the American/Italian director after MEDITERRANEA (2015). The film was made at a dizzying rate: the project was developed within Script&Pitch 2015 and premiered two years later, at the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival 2017 – where it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award. It was also Italy’s candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards 2018.

The film, described byThe Hollywood Reporter  as “an impressively cohesive gallery of outsider portraits", tells the story of the 14-years-old boy Pio in the Ciambra, the rom community of Gioia Tauro in Calabria. A CIAMBRA is produced by Stayblack Productions (Rome), in co-production with Brazil, USA, Germany, France and Sweden. The film is also the first ever to be supported by Martin Scorsese's fund dedicated to emerging filmmakers.

Jonas was not the only TFL Alumni to get on the stage last night: Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza received the David di Donatello Award for Best Non Original Screenplay for SICILIAN GHOST STORY, their 2^nd feature film.  The film, which opened Cannes Critics’ Week 2017, is based on the real-life We Won't Be Confused Forever short story by Marco Mancassola. Their debut feature SALVO participated in TFL’s Script&Pitch 2007 and FrameWork 2009. It premiered at Critics' Week 2013 and won the Nespresso Grand Prize.