“Conclave” director Edward Berger and the Oscar-nominated film’s Italian stars Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellitto will be celebrated by the Los Angeles-Italia Film Fashion and Art Festival, which will run Feb 23 to March 1 at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theater.
Berger, whose Vatican thriller just scored four BAFTA wins, will be feted with a best director of 2025 prize by the annual pre-Oscars event, which celebrates showbiz ties between Italy and Hollywood.
Los Angeles-Italia chief Pascal Vicedomini praised Berger for “the sensitivity he showed in imagining a behind-the-scenes look at the Vatican,” he said in a statement.
The German director will receive his Los-Angeles-Italia award from Castellitto, who plays ruthless Italian Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco in “Conclave.” Berger, in turn, will present an award to Castellitto during a ceremony at the Chinese Theatre on Monday.
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Producer Raffaella de Laurentiis – who is the event’s honorary president – praised Castellitto as “a multifaceted and complete talent; a giant of Italian cinema worldwide who has been able to solidify his artistic career in films that are part of cinema history, often portraying characters of great moral, civil and historical value.” Castellitto’s recent roles include playing Italian general Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, who was at the forefront of Italy’s anti-terrorism effort during the country’s so-called Years of Lead and was killed by the Sicilian Mafia.
Rossellini, who received her first-ever Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Sister Agnes in “Conclave,” is also getting a prize and being honored with a retrospective titled “Roberto, Ingrid, and… Isabella: The Beautiful Story of the Rossellinis.”