Tim Burton to Receive David for Cinematic Excellence 2019 at Donatello Awards

Tim Burton will be honored with the David for Cinematic Excellence 2019 career award at the 64th David di Donatello Awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 27, broadcast live in prime time on RAI 1. The announcement was made by Piera Detassis, president of the Accademia del Cinema Italiano, who praised Burton's extraordinary creative energy and multifaceted talent, citing films such as Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride. Detassis described Burton as a great innovator in film history, whose visionary work continues a cultural tradition from Edgar Allan Poe through expressionism, surrealism, illustration, and comics to digital art, resulting in a personal synthesis of deep poetry with melancholic irony addressing themes like fear of the other and empathy with the different. Burton's latest film, Dumbo, a live-action reimagining of the Disney animated classic, will be released in Italian theaters on March 28 by The Walt Disney Company Italia. The cast includes Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Colin Farrell, and Michael Keaton. The award news has generated excitement across Italy, with some press commentators suggesting this will be Burton's best work in years.