“It’s pretty incredible,” Van Groeningen said after winning the award.
“Two Belgians who win this prize in Italy for an Italian movie.
“Thank you for this declaration of love,” Vandermeersch, who is also Van Groeningen’s partner in real life, said.
“We love Italy very much. This is so beautiful.”
The moving tale of male friendship and self-discovery set against the backdrop of the Italian Alps also clinched the awards for best photography, best non-original screenplay and best sound.
Esterno notte (Exterior Night) by Italian director Marco Bellocchio also took four awards – for direction, best leading actor (Fabrizio Gifuni), editing and makeup.
A limited TV series that played in Italian cinemas before airing in homes, Exterior Night is about the 1978 kidnapping and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro (played by Gifuni) by Red Brigades.
Roberto Andò’s La stranezza (Strangeness), for set, costumes, original screenplay and production.
Strangeness is a tragicomic period piece about how Pirandello found inspiration to write his masterpiece Six Characters in Search of an Author.
Special Davids were awarded to Isabella Rossellini, who was presented with her David by Hollywood star Matt Dillon, and veteran Italian hit comedies specialist, director Enrico Vanzina.
The career honour went to Marina Cicogna, Italy’s first major female film producer, who in the exlusively male area of Italian and European film production in the late 1960s, backed films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Liliana Cavani and Elio Petri.
ANSA
