Francesco Sossai’s comedy-drama The Last One for the Road swept the board at the 71st edition of Italy‘s David di Donatello Awards at Rome’s Cinecittà studios on Wednesday, winning in eight categories including Best Film and Director.
The road movie, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at CAnnes in 2025, stars Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla as two fiftysomething men from Italy’s northern Veneto area who befriend a timid student from Naples, played by Filippo Scotti.
Having led at the nomination stage making it into 16 categories, the picture also won Best Actor for Romano, Original Screenplay, Editing, Original Song, Casting and Producer.
Francesco Sossai accepts the David di Donatello for Best Film for ‘The Last One for the Road’
Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images
Further multiple prizewinners of the night included Italian opera director Damiano Michieletto’s first feature debut, the Venice-set Antonio Vivaldi-inspired tale Primavera; Silvio Soldini’s World War II drama The Tasters, about a group of young women forced to work as food tasters for Adolf Hitler who lived in fear of being poisoned; and martial arts action-thriller Forbidden City.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning picture One Battle After Another won the Best International Film Prize, beating contenders I’m Still Here, The Voice of Hind Rajab, The Brutalist and It Was Just an Accident, but the director did not make it to Italy to pick up the prize.
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In honorary prizes, Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro was feted with the Special Prize Cinecittà 91 for his career including Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse now, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor and Warren Beatty’s Reds as well as films with Dario Argento, Woody Allen, Carlos Saura, Richard Donner, Alfonso Arau, Paul Schrader and many others.
Director Gianni Amelio was celebrated with an honorary career prize, while the Special David Prize went to animator and director Bruno Bozzetto. Gennaro Nunziante’s record-breaking box office hit comedy Buen Camino starring Checco Zalone won the Spectator prize but neither the film’s director or its star made it to the awards ceremony.
Here are the winners at the 2026 David di Donatello Awards:
Best Film
The Last One For The Road, Francesco Sossai
Best Director
Francesco Sossai, The Last One For The Road
Best First Film
Margherita Spampinato, Sweetheart
Best Original Screenplay
The Last One For The Road,Francesco Sossai, Adriano Candiago
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Tasters, Doriana Leondeff, Silvio Soldini, Lucio Ricca, Cristina Comencini, Giulia Calenda, Ilaria Macchia
Best Producer
The Last One For The Road, Marta Donzelli and Gregorio Paonessa for Vivo Film, with Rai Cnema, in collaboration with Philipp Kreuzer for Maze Pictures, Cecilia Trautvetter
Best Actress
Aurora Quattrocchi, Sweetheart
Best Actor
Sergio Romano, The Last One For The Road
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Matilda De Angelis, Fuori
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Lino Musella, Feeling Better
Best International Film
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Casting
Adriano Candiago, The Last One For The Road
Best Cinematography
Paolo Carnera, Forbidden City
Best Composer
Primavera, Fabio Massimo Capogrosso
Best Original Song
Krano, The Last One For The Road
Best Art Direction
Andrea Castorina, Marco Martucci, Forbidden City
Best Costumes
Primavera, Maria Rita Barbera, Gaia Calderone
Best Make-up
Esmé Sciaroni, The Tasters
Best Hair
Marta iacoponi, Primavera
Best Editing
Paolo Cottignola, The Last One For The Road
Best Sound
Gianluca Scarlata, Davide Favargiotti, Daniele Quadroli, Nadia Paone, Primavera
Best Special Effects
Forbidden City, Stefano Leoni, Andrea Lo Priore
Best Documentary
Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script, Ilaria de Laurentiis, Andrea Paolo Massara, Raffaele Brunetti
Best Short
Everyday in Gaza, Omar Rammal
Youth Prize
The Tasters, Silvio Soldini
