The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian

film award Film award is a cinematic award which can be awarded in several categories. Unlike the film festival, the film award is not accompanied by a public screening of competitive films. Film awards are usually awarded based on the results of a secret vo ...

, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in a wide range of categories, covering not only

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s but also

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s (''Corti d'argento'') and

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

(''Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie''). The main awards are given at

Taormina Film Fest Taormina Film Fest (TFF) is an annual film festival that takes place at Taormina, Sicily, Italy, in July. It was established in 1955 in Messina, and in 1957 became Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale di Messina e Taormina, until it moved per ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, while the short film awards ceremony is held in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

History

The Nastri d'Argento awards, which are also known by their name in English, Silver Ribbons, have been given each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani''). From 1950, the main award was Best Director, with no award given for Best Film until sometime after 1991. This is because it was assumed that the best director made the best film. This was different from other countries, where best film was often associated with the producer; at the Nastri d'Argento, a separate category recognised the producer. However "Film of the Year" is now awarded. For many of its early years, there was criticism that journalists carried too much weight in the voting process, and

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

s too little, so that experimental and independent films were not properly considered for awards. In response to this, a breakaway group of press film critics formed the (National Union of Film Critics) in May 1971. The Silver Ribbons ceremony was at first held in February each year, giving awards for films released in the preceding calendar year. In 1971, the committee changed the schedule so that films made up until May each year would be eligible for the awards, which were then granted in June. This was because the

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (the Academy of Italian Cin ...

awards (the "Davids", or "Dontatellos"), along with many other awards, were given at that time, and summer was considered generally the best months for awards ceremonies. In 1989, the date of the awards was changed back to February and the eligibility set back to the calendar year. The Davids ceremony took place at the Teatro Antico (Ancient Theatre) until 1980. The Silver Ribbons continued there until 1989, and have continued there from 2000. From 1992, a new award for short films was established, the ''Corti d'Argento'' ("Silver Shorts"), which from 2013 included a section for animated short films. In 2020, a new set of awards was established, in collaboration with the Campania Region Film Commission in

, to honour great international television series (''Grandi Serie Internazionali''). The inaugural edition of the Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie Internazionali was held in Naples in September 2021 In 2023 the event was held on 1 July. The 2024 event will be held at MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art on 27 June.

Description

The Nastri d'Argento are a set of film awards given every year at an

awards ceremony An awards ceremony is a type of ceremony where awards are given out. The ceremony may be arranged by a government organization, a society, a school, a trade association or even a company that specializes in running awards ceremonies. Typically a m ...

at the Teatro Antico in

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

, as part of the

, except for the Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie, which are held in Naples.

Awards

The awards are given in the following categories:

Feature films

*Best Film (''Miglior film''; since 2017) *Best Director (''Miglior regista'', since 2017) *Best Comedy (''Migliore commedia''; since 2009) *

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V'' **Runners-up: Steve Kloves – '' ...

(''Miglior regista esordiente''; since 1974) * Best Producer (''Miglior produttore''; since 1954) *Best Original Story (''Migliore soggetto'') * Best Screenplay (''Migliore sceneggiatura''; since 1948) * Best Actor (''Migliore attore protagonista'') *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...

(''Migliore attrice protagonista'') * Best Supporting Actor (''Migliore attore non protagonista'') * Best Supporting Actress (''Migliore attrice non protagonista'') *Best Comedy Actor (''Migliore attore di commedia''; since 2018) *Best Comedy Actress (''Migliore attrice di commedia''; since 2018) *Best Cinematography (''Migliore fotografia'') *Best Production Design (''Migliore scenografia'') *Best Costume Design (''Migliori costumi''; since 1953) * Best Score (''Migliore colonna sonora''; since 1947) *Best Original Song (''Migliore canzone originale''; since 1999) *Best Editing (''Migliore montaggio''; since 1990) *Best Sound (''Migliore sonoro in presa diretta''; since 2002) *Best Casting Director (''Miglior casting director''; since 2014) *Best Documentary (''Miglior documentario'') *Best Documentary on Cinema (''Miglior documentario sul cinema'') * Best Dubbing (''Miglior doppiaggio'')

Television series

The ''Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie (Internazionali)'' have been awarded for television series since 2021, in a ceremony held in Naples.

Corti d'Argento

The is a section for short films, with Best Short Film (''Miglior cortometraggio'') and a separate award for animated short films.

Special Awards

* Life Achievement Award (''Nastro d'argento alla carriera'') *Special Award (''Nastro d'argento speciale'')

Defunct awards

* Director of Best Film (''Regista del miglior film''; 1946–2016) * Director of Best Foreign Film (''Regista del miglior film straniero''; 1956–2006) *Best European Film (''Miglior film europeo''; 2007–2012) *Best Non-European Foreign Film (''Miglior film extraeuropeo''; 2007–2012) *Best 3D Film (''Miglior film in 3D''; 2010) *European Silver Ribbon Award (''Nastro d'argento europeo''; 1989–2020)

Notable winners

1980s

*1981:

Massimo Troisi Massimo Troisi (; 19 February 1953 – 4 June 1994) was an Italian actor, cabaret performer, comedian, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his works in the films '' I'm Starting back from Three'' (1981) and '' Il Postino: The ...

*1987:

Giuseppe Tornatore Giuseppe Tornatore (born 27 May 1956) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the directors who brought critical acclaim back to Italian cinema.Katz, Ephraim, "Italy," ''The Film Encyclopedia'' (New York: HarperRes ...

, with his debut feature ''

Il camorrista ''The Professor'' (Italian: ''Il camorrista'') is a 1986 Italian noir-crime drama directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. His film debut, it is based on the true story of the Italian crime boss Raffaele Cutolo, and adapted from the novel by Giuseppe M ...

'', who went on to win it many times *1987:

Roberto Benigni Roberto Remigio Benigni ( , ; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing, and starring in the Holocaust comedy drama film ''Life Is Beautifu ...

, as the protagonist of '' Down by Law''

References

External links

* * {{Cinema of Italy Italian film awards Awards established in 1946 1946 establishments in Italy