Hamilton is a partner of the Nastri d’Argento and recognizes the great work of the artists behind the camera by awarding the Hamilton Behind the Camera – Nastri d’Argento award, which went this year to Brando De Sica for his directorial debut with Mimì – The prince of darkness.
Cinema is one of the fascinating worlds of our time. It allows us to travel while sitting, to live lives different from ours, to experience emotions that connect us with our reality. But the charm that surrounds the seventh art goes beyond the screen. We are inevitably seduced by the charisma of those who make the films, by the lights on the red carpets, by the photographers’ flashes, by the cinematographic events that celebrate the stars we adore. Yet, that other world about which little is known is no less intriguing, the world behind the scenes where hundreds of people sweat blood to indulge the artistic vision that a work is dressed in. From directors to producers, from directors of photography to set designers, from costume designers to composers, creative responsibilities involve many people who must find the necessary harmony to work on the same project and pursue the final goal: make the spectators dream.
Hamilton, a globally renowned watch brand, has been well aware of this for a long time. The work of these heroes, whose names we often don’t know who work on the other side of the camera, has been celebrated by the maison since 2006, the year of birth of the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, awards that aim to reward the talent that hides among the images of the films. Candidates for the award are selected for their valuable contribution in films released during the year or presented at the major world film festivals, such as Cannes, Toronto and Venice and at the American Film Institute Festival. The presentation of the prizes in the United States Hamilton It is an event that has been consolidated for years and has seen among the winners personalities such as Darren Aronofsky per Jackie, Paul Dano for Wildlife, the costume designer Mary Zophres for AVE, CESARE!, the editor Peter Scaliathe Director of Photography for Life of Pi Claudio Miranda and the director Pablo Larrain per Spencer, Luca Guadagnino e Ryan Johnson. Presenting them with the awards were stars such as Harrison Ford, Patricia Arquette, Lenny Kravitz, Ewan McGregor, Javier Bardem and Kristen Stewart.
The centennial relationship between Hamilton and cinema
You have to go very far to find the year of marriage between Hamilton and Hollywood. It was 1932 when the clock Hamilton Flintridge appeared in Shanghai Express con Marlene Dietrich, the first of over 500 titles in the history of cinema in which the company’s timepieces have indelibly left their mark, becoming iconic today. The war film Sea frogs of 1951 and Blue Hawaii from 1961 with Elvis Presley were the subsequent productions with which the company collaborated.
There is no doubt that the presence of a clock Hamilton in a film, a series or a video game (also pioneers in this sector) confers authenticity and contributes to embellishing the aesthetic value of the work. Over the course of these almost one hundred years of partnership, the production companies have entered into partnerships with the fashion house to boast various models to be worn by actors and actresses, who step into the shoes of their characters. The Boulton Quarz by Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destinythe Ventura Quarz of Men in Blackthe Khaki Field Auto by The AvengersThe Khaki Field Murph of Interstellar and the Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO for The Martian these are just some of the watches that have appeared relatively recently.
When it comes to non-existing, already produced models, the designers of Hamilton they get to work to create customized ones according to the director’s requests, becoming part of the creative team of the cinema machine themselves. In this list we find the Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO models created for Tenet in Christopher Nolan ei Desert Watch in Dune Part 2. And, just to reiterate what standards we are talking about, the first watch created specifically as a prop can be seen in the film Stanley Kubrick from 1968 2001, A Space Odysseystill the best science fiction film ever made.
The same Hamiltonin order to also meet requests for historical watches suitable for the era represented in a film, keeps in close contact with a large network of Hamilton enthusiasts and collectors.
For the movie Oppenheimerit is thanks to private collections that six vintage timepieces have been selected, suitable to be contextualized in the 1930s and 1940s.
Hamilton Behind the Camera Award – Nastri D’Argento 2024: the winner is Brando De Sica
Brando De Sica comes from a family of artists, being the son of Christian De Sica (e Silvia Verdone) as well as the nephew of Vittorio De Sicaand in fact he is a talented artist who has his own specificity and his own very personal style. Before becoming a director, Brando worked as an actor, carving out small roles for himself, starting from the age of 10, in a series of Italian comedies, including The 90s – Part II, A walk in time, A walk in time – The adventure continues e Paparazzi. He then decided to follow another path and moved to Los Angeles, where he attended the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in directing and receiving the certificate from Clint Eastwood. Back in Italy, he worked as assistant director for Pupi Avati e Matthew Garrone. He also directs some short films including The error, which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Silver Ribbon. His first feature film was released in 2023 Mimi – The Prince of Darknessa dark fairy tale or even a romantic horror film featuring a Neapolitan pizza chef with deformed feet and a girl convinced she is a descendant of Count Dracula.
And it is precisely for this last film that he marked his directorial debutwhich Brando De Sica received The award Behind the Camera – Nastri D’Argento 2024.
The award was presented to him by Andreas Albeck, brand manager Hamilton Italy. In the motivation appreciation for “A dive into the best fantasy, presented out of competition in Locarno and winner of a special mention at the Sitges Festival for a comedy in which a supernatural Naples becomes the theater of noir legends in an atmosphere full of emotions that reveals the touch of an already mature debut”.
To celebrate the ten years of collaboration with the Nastri d’ArgentoAnd Dominic Cuomoprotagonist of Mimi – The Prince of Darkness to receive the Tenth Anniversary Special Award, a prestigious plaque that confirms the brand’s desire to enhance and promote the best talents of Italian cinema. The actor of Sea Outborn in Gragnano in 2004, attended the Laborart Artistic Center from 2015 to 2020. His career as a professional actor began when he was given the part of Cosimo in the Third Season of Gomorrah – The SeriesWe also find it in The Brilliant Friend in the role of Antonio. Sea Outside marks a turning point for Cuomowho in the meantime acted in Catch 22miniseries with George Clooney, Kyle Chandler e Hugh LaurieThe film debuted in 2020 and is Alessandra – A great love and nothing more Pasquale Falcone. 2021 is instead the year of fiction A professorcon Alessandro Gassmann, where the actor is Mimmo Bruni. Narrator of the documentary My name is Giancarlo Siani, Dominic Cuomo he hit the stage with the musical against bullying Thirteen and with Scugnizzi 2.0.
The ceremony of the Silver Ribbons it took place Thursday 27 June 2024 at the MAXXI Museum in Rome. Below is the video of the event.
@comingsoon.it Yesterday, Thursday 27 June, at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, on the occasion of the #NastridArgento2024, the #Hamilton Behind the Camera – Nastri d’Argento award was assigned, now in its tenth edition. Do you want to know who won? The award went to #BrandoDeSica, a debuting director awarded for his first feature film “Mimì – The Prince of Darkness”, while #DomenicoCuomo received a special plaque to celebrate 10 years of collaboration between Hamilton and the Nastri! ❤️
