Thanks to the film Paolo Sorrentino, Italy again won the Oscars. This has not happened for fifteen years, since the days of “Life is Beautiful” by Robert Benigni. The director of "Great Beauty" ("La grande bellezza") thanked Fellini, Scorsese and Maradona: "They were my source of inspiration"
“Life is Beautiful” won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Italy for 15 years, since 1999, has not won a golden statuette. But this time, the Italian picture surpassed serious rivals: it was opposed by a Belgian drama Open circle (Alabama Monroe) Felix Van Groengin and Danish "Hunting" Thomas Wintenberg ("Il sospetto" di Thomas Vintenberg). At the presentation ceremony, director Paolo Sorrentino, noticeably excited, went on stage with the main character of the film, Toni Servillo and producer Nicola Giuliano:
"Thanks to Tony and Nicolas, I also thank all the actors and producers. I am grateful to the people who inspired me for this film: Talking Heads, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, Diego Armando Maradone. They all taught me a lesson on how to create a real sight. After all, it is the basis of cinema. Thanks to Naples and Rome, and my personal great beauty, Daniela, and our two children. I am very excited, this victory is quite unexpected for me. Other films are also strong, and I am very happy now. "
The director’s enthusiasm was also shared by Italian social networks, literally crazy, celebrating the victory.
Then Sorrentino remembered Italian cinema:
"I hope that this film and this victory will open the door to the Italian cinema for the international cinema market."
The director noted that after such a victory he feels a certain responsibility, because he now represents all Italian cinema on the world stage.
"In recent days, I have experienced strong feelings, imagining how many people are discussing my film and want to win it. And the realization of this put pressure on me. It was not easy for me to survive this period, but now I am happy. It is not easy to describe the emotions that are overwhelming me now."
As for music, an important element of the film, Sorrentino described it as follows: “This is a kind of interweaving of church and secular melodies. Because Rome is a city that combines the religious and secular, the Catholic Church and the secular life of the city outside the Vatican. And music in the film reflects that. "
By the way, before the Oscars, the film about journalist Jep Gambardella (the hero of Tonnie Servillo), who detachedly watches the life of the satiated, boring and immoral Rome, managed to collect many awards at other film festivals: the Golden Globe, the British Academy, the European Film Academy.