The award ceremony for the Leoncino d’Oro established by AGISCUOLA and promoted by A.G.I.S. A.N.E.C. and David di Donatello – Accademia del Cinema Italiano, was held on Friday, September 8, at 5:15 p.m. at the Italian Pavilion of the Excelsior Hotel, in the presence of Lucia Borgonzoni (Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture), Roberto Cicutto (President La Biennale), Alberto Barbera (Artistic Director of the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica), Andrea Del Mercato (Director General La Biennale), Luigi Lonigro (President Unione Editori e Distributori Cinematografici).
Doing the honours were Francesco Giambrone (President Agis), Mario Lorini (Vice-President AGIS and President ANEC), Piera Detassis (President Accademia del Cinema Italiano – Premi David di Donatello), Paolo Merlo, President Unicef Padova Provincial Committee.
Lucia Borgonzoni, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture, said, “Cinema is a tool to cultivate passion and talent of our young people, the key to developing their critical sense and sensitivity. The goal that the Ministry of Culture aims to achieve is through the activity of training the new generations in the audiovisual language. The same spirit with which, for no less than 35 years, we have been renewing this event in which young people play the leading role, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Venice Film Festival. A thrill to have participated in it.”
Now in its 35th edition, the Leoncino has become, over time, one of the most significant collateral awards of the Venice Film Festival. Once again this year, the group of young jurors from all over Italy awarded – following an agreement signed with the Italian Committee for UNICEF – the prestigious Cinema For UNICEF Signaling Award, a recognition established by the Italian Committee for UNICEF at the Venice Film Festival since 1980.
For these reasons, the 80th Venice Film Festival’s Leoncino d’Oro award goes to IO CAPITANO by Matteo Garrone.
“A modern odyssey that shakes our consciences to the core. A masterful transposition into images of events which we are too often unaware of. For the courage of a director who knows how to pursue ambitious ideas despite the immense difficulties, for the truthfulness of the interpretation, for the power of a tale somewhere between dream and reality, capable of conveying a universal message of resistance and solidarity.
For these reasons, the Leoncino d’Oro of the 80th edition of the Venice International Film Festival goes to ‘Io Capitano’ by Matteo Garrone.”
For these reasons, the 80. Venice Film Festival’s Segnalazione Cinema for Unicef, goes to ZIELONA GRANICA by Agnieszka Holland.
“A work that succeeds in analyzing with stark realism the consequences of war and geopolitical crises. It is a choral film that puts the fear and uncertainty of survival of fleeing humanity in a new light. For having presented, through a dynamic and honest direction, incommunicability, impotence and frustration in the face of the mechanisms of power that snatch the future from children. For these reasons, the Cinema for UNICEF Award of the 80th edition of the Venice International Film Festival goes to ‘Zielona Granica’ by Agnieszka Holland.”
