“January” by Viesturs Kairiss is the best film of the 17th edition of the Rome Film Fest.

The film was chosen from among those in competition by the jury chaired by

director and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi

and composed of actor and director

Louis Garrel

, directors

Juho Kuosmanen

and

Pietro Marcello

and producer

Gabrielle Tana

. 

At "

January"

also

the award for director and the best actor - "Vittorio Gassman" Award - to Karlis Arnolds Avots

.

The award ceremony, which took place in

the Sala Petrassi of the Auditorium Parco della Musica

, opened with a sparkling Geppi Cucciari, godmother of the event, who ironically said: "

This is the award ceremony of the Rome Film Festival, but from today it is called 'autarchic event to celebrate the Celluloid rite '”

in reference to the newly appointed right-wing government.

"

This morning the new government has sworn in

- added the Sardinian presenter -  

This is an audience of filmmakers, therefore of communists. Don't let yourself be recognized and let's applaud the new government, and we greet the new Minister of Culture"

.

La Cucciari then launched a dig also on the subject of expensive bills: "

We are in the Petrassi room and not in the Sinopoli room, which is larger, for a very specific reason: lighting it costs less

".

After the introduction and the speech by

Gianluca Farinelli

(president of the Foundation that manages the festival) who declared himself satisfied with the edition, "the challenge has been won", he said, the prizes were awarded.

Starting from this edition, in fact, the Rome Film Fest has also been officially recognized as a Competitive Festival by the Fiapf (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) and in addition to the aforementioned awards for

best film, best actor and best director

, for the

Progressive Cinema Competition

,

have been assigned: 

Grand Jury Prize

to Jeong-sun by Jeong Ji-hye; 

Best Actress - “Monica Vitti” Award

to Kim kum-soon for Jeong-sun;  

Best Screenplay

to Andrea Bagney for "Ramona"; 

Special Jury Prize

(proposed by the President to be chosen from among the categories of script, photography, editing and original soundtrack): "Foudre" by Carmen Jaquier for photography by Marine Atlan. 

The Special Jury Mention

was also awarded to

actress Lilith Grasmug for her performance in Foudre. 

For the

Section

, on the other hand,

Best Comedy - "Ugo Tognazzi" award

, the jury 

chaired by Carlo Verdone

and composed of the actress

Marisa Paredes

and the author and actress

Teresa Mannino

awarded the "Ugo Tognazzi" Award to the

Best Comedy

(chosen between the titles of the Progressive Cinema, Freestyle and Grand Public Competition sections), to the film

"What's love got to do with it?"

by Shekhar Kapur.

The Special Mention for Best Comedy - “Ugo Tognazzi” Award

was also assigned

to the film “Ramona” by Andrea Bagney, “

delicate and intimate film, capable of humanity, where the care of the director towards the actors and of the actors towards the characters shines through ”

, the motivations.


For the

Best First Feature Bnl Bnp Paribas

, the jury chaired by director and screenwriter

Julie Bertuccelli

and composed of director

Roberto De Paolis

and film critic

Daniela Michel

awarded the

Best First Feature Bnl Bnp Paribas Award 

(chosen from the titles of the Progressive Competition sections Cinema, Freestyle and Grand Public), to the film “

Causeway

” by Lila Neugebauer. 

Two Special Mentions were also awarded for

Best First Feature Bnl Bnp Paribas

to the films “

Ramona

” by Andrea Bagney and “

Foudre

” by Carmen Jaquier.   

The section dedicated to

the FS Public Award, Ferrovie dello Stato

, saw the actor Valerio Mastrandrea go up on stage to reward the winners, who created a nice curtain with Geppi Cucciari to the sound of jokes and playful mutual attacks.

The spectators,

among the films of the Progressive Cinema Competition

, chose to award the film

“Shhtl” by Ady Walter.

"

I thank the audience for everything. The response was extraordinary, even moving for me, I did not expect it. The first and last meaning of the work we do is the gaze of the spectators who are not only

the recipients but also the custodians of our work.

", were the

farewell

words of the artistic director of the Rome Film Fest,

Paola Malanga, at the end of the award ceremony.