Italy pins its Oscar hopes on Laura Pausini and Pinocchio

Rome: The Oscar 2021 nominations have been announced and Italy’s hopes are pinned on Io sì (Seen) sung by Laura Pausini and the Pinocchio movie directed by Matteo Garrone.

Io Sì (Seen), a power ballad from the soundtrack to the movie The Life Ahead or La vita davanti a sé, scooped a Golden Globe award two weeks ago.

The original English-language version of the track was written by Diane Warren, specifically for The Life Ahead, with Pausini and Niccolò Agliardi composing the Italian version.

Pinocchio, Garrone’s magical retelling of the Italian classic fairytale, has received two Oscar nominations: one for costumes, the other for make up.

News of Italy’s Oscar hopes comes a week after the announcement that the Oscar-winning Italian actress Sophia Loren is to be honoured by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

The long-awaited Los Angeles venue, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, is set to open in late September after numerous delays due to the covid-19 crisis.

A talking point this year is the Oscar nomination of two women directors for the first time in almost a century of the Academy Awards.

They are Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell, respectively for Nomadland and Promising Young Woman.

Chadwick Boseman, the actor who died prematurely of cancer last year, has earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

The 93rd edition of the Oscars award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Hollywood on 25 April.