Martin Scorsese to Become Honorary President of Italy's David di Donatello Awards
Martin Scorsese has agreed to become the honorary president of the David di Donatello Academy of Italian Cinema, the body that runs Italy's equivalent of the Oscars, with the announcement made in Rome on 25 August 2026 (ANSA).
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said he proposed Scorsese for the role because few filmmakers embody the connection between the great Italian tradition and the history of cinema like him, according to Variety. In a statement addressed to Giuli, Scorsese expressed gratitude for being considered and said he was honoured to accept.
The Academy still has to approve the appointment, though it is described as a mere formality.
Scorsese's honorary presidency is part of a broader leadership overhaul at the foundation. The roles previously held by one person have now been split. Silvia Calandrelli, a senior executive at Italy's state broadcaster RAI, holds the more ceremonial position as president of the Italian academy. Gianluca Farinelli — founder and chief of the Bologna Film Archives and its film restoration lab, and head of the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival — was appointed artistic director prior to Scorsese's honorary presidency.
Farinelli partly replaces film journalist Piera Detassis, who in 2018 became the first woman to head the David di Donatello Awards and stepped down after her mandate formally expired. Detassis had held the dual role of president of the academy and artistic director simultaneously. The foundation's governance renewal will be completed once its artistic steering committee is appointed, following the three new appointments.
The news arrives as the academy mourns one of Italian cinema's most significant producers. Fulvio Lucisano, who produced films through Italian International Film and later the Lucisano Media Group, has died. The Academy of Italian Cinema expressed condolences to his daughters Federica and Paola, per the David di Donatello website. Lucisano backed genre films and comedies across a career that spanned Mario Bava's Terrore nello spazio, Luigi Comencini's Un ragazzo di Calabria, Francesca Archibugi's Il grande cocomero, and Fausto Brizzi's Notte prima degli esami.
Lucisano won four David di Donatello awards over his career: Best Film in 1981 for Massimo Troisi's Ricomincio da tre, Best Producer in 1985 for Pasquale Festa Campanile's Uno scandalo per bene, Best Film again in 1993 for Il grande cocomero, and the David Speciale alla Carriera — a special career award — in 2009.
Scorsese's ties to Italian cinema run deep, from his documentaries on Italian film history to his own Italian-American narratives, which is what gives the honorary title its particular weight. The director has long been an outspoken champion of film preservation and restoration, a mission that aligns closely with Farinelli's work at the Bologna Film Archives.
