Friday Feb 28th, the Nominee Gala at the Italian Institute of Culture. Expecting the Oscars’ Gala.
American painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel has been honored with the ‘LA, Italia – Marina Cicogna Award,’ in tribute to the late Oscar-winning producer Marina Cicogna. She was one of the pioneers of the Italian Film Festival on the eve of the Oscars, alongside Lina Wertmüller, Franco Nero, Tony Renis, and festival founder Pascal Vicedomini.
Franco Nero himself will present the award to the extraordinary New York artist (whose latest film In The Hand of Dante is highly anticipated this year) during the classic Nominee Gala on Friday, February 28, at the Italian Cultural Institute. Many other key figures of the Italian showcase in Hollywood (organized by the Capri Institute with MiC and Intesa Sanpaolo, along with Adamantis Europe Ltd, Enit, Scabec, Givova, and Riflessi) will also attend. Among them are Cynthia Sleiter (Academy Award nominee for the production design of Conclave), director Mauro Borrelli (creator of the highly anticipated The Last Supper, which will close the 20th LA, Italia festival on Saturday afternoon), composer Fabrizio Mancinelli (who scored Anuja, nominated for Best Live Action Short Film), and Francesco Merola (representing his late father Mario Merola, beloved by the Italian community on the West Coast). Other honored guests include Sergio Castellitto (awarded on Monday night along with Ralph Fiennes and Conclave director Edward Berger), Oscar winners Mira Sorvino and Nick Vallelonga, and many other festival friends.
Julian Schnabel made his mark in cinema with Before Night Falls, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director. He later directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, winning Best Director at Cannes and receiving another Academy Award nomination. His other films include Miral and At Eternity’s Gate about Van Gogh. His latest work, filmed mostly in Italy (Sicily, Rome, Florence, and Venice), features a star-studded cast including Gerard Butler (in two roles), Al Pacino, Jason Momoa, John Malkovich, Gal Gadot, Oscar Isaac, and Martin Scorsese, alongside Franco Nero, Fortunato Cerlino, Sabrina Impacciatore, Lorenzo Zurzolo, and many others. This special film is being sought after by both the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.
