Favino and Bellocchio in Cannes (Ansa)

  • "Il Traditore" by Marco Bellocchio is the Italian candidate in the Oscar race
  • Martin Eden and the Traitor of Bellocchio among the 5 Italian films that are candidates for the 2020 Oscar
  • "Il Traditore" by Bellocchio hits Taormina: 7 Silver Ribbons
  • Cannes, triumph for Bellocchio: 13 minutes of applause

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09 November 2019 "Il traitore" by Marco Bellocchio hits the European Film Academy (Efa) with four nominations, but "Selfie" by Agostino Ferrente ("The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio") are still strong for Italy in the Best Documentary category where Beniamino Barrese's "La scomparsa di mia madre" is in the running.

This year's edition is dominated by big names like Pedro Almodóvar, Marco Bellocchio and Roman Polanski leading the nominations with four categories each. It is interesting to note that this trio of films, "Pain and glory", "The traitor" and "The officer and the spy", received nominations in the most important European categories: film, director, screenplay and actors (Antonio Banderas , Pierfrancesco Favino and Jean Dujardin). The Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos also received four nominations for "La favorita", already nominated in the European comedy category, to which the European film, director and actress categories (Olivia Colman) are now added.

As for Italy, in addition to Bellocchio's film on the repentant Tommaso Buscetta, already candidate for Italy at the Academy Awards after sales in over 70 countries and the US release with Sony Pictures, we find "Selfie" starring Alessandro and Pietro, two teenagers from the Trajan district of Naples, who filmed themselves with an iPhone to tell their difficult neighborhood, their daily life and the tragedy of David, killed at the age of 17 at a checkpoint.

In "The disappearance of my mother" of Barrese, protagonist of the documentary is Benedetta Barzini, mother of the director. Who was Barzini? The first major Italian icon model of the Sixties, which inspired the most important photographers and artists of the time such as Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Salvador Dali and Irving Penn. Not only that, a militant feminist, writer and university professor, Barzini decides at 75 to leave everything to reach a distant place. The film recounts the attempt by the son to find answers and to memorize the true essence and authenticity of his mother.

Worth noting then is the latest film by Céline Sciamma, "Portrait of a woman in flames", has three nominations: European director, screenplay and actress. Surprised, finally, by the first-time directors Ladj Ly and Nora Fingscheidt, respectively with "Les misérables" and "Sustem crasher" nominated in the European Film category.

The awards ceremony will take place in Berlin on December 7th even if previously the Academy will present the winners of the technical European Film Awards (in the categories of photography, editing, set design, costume, composer and sound design).