Francesco Sossai's delightful dramedy film "Last One for the Road" (Le città di pianura) emerged as the big winner at Italy's David di Donatello Awards. At the ceremony held Wednesday evening at the Cinecittà studios in Rome, the film won eight awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

The road movie, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2025, tells the story of two men in their 50s (Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla) from the northern Italian region of Veneto who form an unexpected friendship with a shy student from Naples (Filippo Scotti). The film was the strongest contender of the night, starting with 16 nominations. Romano was awarded Best Actor. It also received awards in categories including Original Screenplay, Editing, Original Song, Casting, and Production.

Among other multiple award-winning productions was the debut feature film "Primavera" by opera director Damiano Michieletto. Set in Venice and inspired by Antonio Vivaldi, this drama won four awards, including Best Music and Best Costume Design. Silvio Soldini's World War II drama "The Tasters" (Le assaggiatrici) also performed well, taking home three awards. The film tells the story of young women forced to serve as food tasters for Adolf Hitler, living in fear of poisoning. Adapted Screenplay and the David Giovani Youth Award were among its accolades.

Gabriele Mainetti's martial arts action-thriller "Forbidden City" (La città proibita) won three awards in categories including Cinematography, Production Design, and Visual Effects. Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar-winning Best Film "One Battle After Another" received the David award for Best International Film. Anderson was not present at the ceremony to accept the award.

Among the honorary awards, Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro received the Special Cinecittà David Award for his career, which includes work on numerous productions such as Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now," Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor," and Warren Beatty's "Reds," as well as collaborations with directors like Dario Argento, Woody Allen, Carlos Saura, Richard Donner, Alfonso Arau, and Paul Schrader. Veteran Italian director Gianni Amelio was honored with the Career David Award. Animator and director Bruno Bozzetto was also awarded the Special David Award.

The David dello Spettatore award went to Gennaro Nunziante's comedy film "Buen Camino," the year's biggest local box office success. The film stars Checco Zalone. However, neither the director nor the actor attended the award ceremony.