Le Città di Pianura by Francesco Sossai is the film with the most nominations (16) at the awards ceremony for the 71st edition of the David di Donatello Awards, which will take place on Wednesday, May 6, at Cinecittà Studios.
During the ceremony, 26 David di Donatello Awards and the Special David Awards will be presented: 21 will go to films released in Italian theaters from January 1 to December 31, 2025, 1 to the Best International Film, 1 to the Best Documentary Film, and 1 to the Best Italian Short Film.
In addition to these, there is the David Giovani Award, promoted by MiC and MIM with Agiscuola, ANEC, and the Italian Cinema Academy, awarded to the best Italian film with themes relevant to younger generations (presented by a national jury of students in their final two years of secondary school), and the Audience David Award (to the film released by December 31, 2025, that achieved the highest number of spectators in cinemas, calculated as of February 28, 2026).
Finally, for the second consecutive year, the Italian Cinema Academy in collaboration with Cinecittà will present the CINECITTÀ DAVID 71 Special Award to one of the most important figures in Italian cinema and in the history of the David Awards.
The Special David Awards, designated by the Presidency and the Board of Directors, will be presented to distinguished figures from the world of cinema.
There are 29 Italian films that have received nominations: Le Città di Pianura is followed by La Grazia by Paolo Sorrentino with 14, and Le Assaggiatrici by Silvio Soldini with 13.
Sossai’s second feature, produced by Vivo film with Rai Cinema and distributed by Lucky Red, began its journey at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and continued with an extraordinary reception in Italian theaters, and now with international distribution (the film is being released in France in these days).
Duse by Pietro Marcello, Fuori by Mario Martone, and La Città proibita by Gabriele Mainetti each received 8, while Primavera by Damiano Michieletto received 7.
Notable are the 5 nominations for Margherita Spampinato’s directorial debut, Gioia Mia. Other debuts include Breve Storia d’Amore by Ludovica Rampoldi (2 nominations); La Vita da Grandi; Tienimi Presente; and Paternal Leave.
The ceremony will be broadcast live in prime time on Rai 1 and transmitted in 4K (on the Rai4K channel, number 210 on Tivùsat). The live broadcast will also be on Rai Radio2 and available for streaming on the RaiPlay platform.
The 71st edition of the David di Donatello Awards is organized by the Italian Cinema Academy Foundation – David di Donatello Awards and by Rai, in collaboration with Cinecittà S.p.A. Piera Detassis is President and Artistic Director of the Academy, with the Board of Directors composed of Giorgio Carlo Brugnoni, Francesca Cima, Edoardo De Angelis, Giuliana Fantoni, Francesco Giambrone, Valeria Golino, Giancarlo Leone, Luigi Lonigro, Mario Lorini, Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, and Alessandro Usai.
