Rome Film Fest: Stephen Daldry’s ‘Trash’ Wins Big

Director Stephen Daldry‘s Trash took home the BNL People’s Choice Gala Award on Saturday night at the Rome Film Festival. The film was competing against 14 other films, including Mike Binder’s Black and White, Andrea Di Stefano’s Escobar: Paradise Lost, David Fincher‘s Gone Girl, Steven Soderbergh‘s TV series The Knick and Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice.

Daldry’s first three feature films each earned him best director Academy Award nominations. His latest, Trash, explores the corruption in Brazil’s political and police forces as seen through the eyes of three teenage boys who stumble upon a wallet in a landfill that holds the secret to one politician’s downfall. The film was shot in Portuguese, with English-speaking cameos from Rooney Mara, who plays an aid worker, and Martin Sheen, who plays a missionary priest.

The festival scrapped the standard jury system this year in favor of audience awards modeled after the Toronto Film Festival. The idea was to prove that the Roman public could serve as a testing ground for the larger European audience, particularly for films still seeking distribution. Voting was conducted via tablets outside of the screening halls or on the festival’s website or mobile app.

Read more Rooney Mara on Language Challenges in Portuguese Film ‘Trash’

Vishal Bhardwaj‘s Haider took home the People’s Choice Award in Mondo Genere, competing against six other films, including Dan Gilroy‘s Nightcrawler, Brad Anderson‘s Stonehearst Asylum and Kevin Smith‘s Tusk.

And Zu Ang‘s 12 Citizens took home the People’s Choice Award in Cinema Today, competing against 15 other films.

Fino a qui tutto bene by Roan Johnson took home the People’s Choice Award for Italian narrative cinema, as well as several collateral awards.

The only jury prize in the lineup was the debut film prize, which went to director Andrea Di Stefano for Escobar: Paradise Lost and producer Laura Hastings-Smith of X+Y.

The complete list of awards is as follows:

The BNL People’s Choice Award | Gala: Trash by Stephen Daldry

The People’s Choice Award | Cinema d’Oggi: 12 Citizens by Zu Ang

The People’s Choice Award | Mondo Genere: Haider by Vishal Bhardwaj

The BNL People’s Choice Award | Cinema Italia (Fiction): Fino a qui tutto bene by Roan Johnson

The People’s Choice Award | Cinema Italia (Documentary): Looking for Kadija by Francesco G. Raganato

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Taodue Camera D’Oro Prize for Best Debut Film: Andrea Di Stefano for Escobar: Paradise Lost; Laura Hastings Smith producer of X+Y by Morgan Matthews; Special Mention: Last Summer by Lorenzo Guerra Seragnoli

DOC/IT Award to the Best Italian Documentary: Largo Baracche by Gaetano Di Vaio; Special Mention: Roma Termini by Bartolomeo Pampaloni

Marc’Aurelio Lifetime Achievement Award: Walter Salles

Maverick Director Award: Takashi Miike

Marc’Aurelio Acting Award: Tomas Milian

Farfalla d’Oro Prize — Agiscuola: Gone Girl by David Fincher

The SIGNIS Award — Ente dello Spettacolo: Fino a qui tutto bene by Roan Johnsond and Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark by Burhan Qurbani; Special mention: Biagio by Pasquale Scimeca

L.A.R.A. (Libera Associazione Rappresentanza di Artisti) for the Best Italian Actor: Marco Marzocca for Buoni a nulla by Gianni Di Gregorio; Special mention: Silvia D’Amico for Fino a qui tutto bene by Roan Johnson

AIC 2014 Award for Best Cinematography: Luis David Sansans for Escobar: Paradise Lost by Andrea Di Stefano

AMC Best Editing: Julia Karg for Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark by Burhan Qurbani

Best Sound Award — A.I.T.S.: Last Summer by Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli

La Chioma di Berenice Award for Best Hairstyling: Simona Castaldi for Soap Opera by Alessandro Genovesi

La Chioma di Berenice Award for Best Make Up Artist: Fabio Lucchetti for Soap Opera by Alessandro Genovesi

Akai Award International Film Fest: Fino a qui tutto bene by Roan Johnson

Green Movie Award: Biagio by Pasquale Scimeca

“Sorriso diverso Roma 2014” Award: Italian film: Biagio by Pasquale Scimeca; Foreign film: Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark by Burhan Qurbani

Twitter: @Aristonla