Aurora Quattrocchi won the award for Best Lead Actress for her role in the film "Gioia Mia" on Thursday [1].

The victory highlights a growing tension within the Italian film industry regarding the accessibility and quality of physical cinema spaces. Quattrocchi used her platform to address the decline of traditional movie theaters and the rise of inadequate screening environments.

The 83-year-old actress from Palermo [1, 2] received the honor during the 71st edition of the David di Donatello awards [1, 4]. The ceremony was broadcast from the Cinecittà Studios in Rome [3, 5].

During her acceptance speech, Quattrocchi expressed a desire for the continued success of the medium and urged for a return to larger, traditional cinema halls. She criticized the current trend of small, cramped screening rooms, which she described as "micragnose" [3, 5].

"I hope that cinema has more and more success and joy, my joy. Let the cinema halls reopen, we can no longer stand those tiny rooms," Quattrocchi said [3].

Her call for the reopening of cinema halls is aimed at reviving the film industry by ensuring that movies are experienced in appropriate settings, rather than diminished spaces [3, 5]. The David di Donatello awards are considered the most prestigious honors in Italian cinema, making her plea a high-profile critique of the industry's current infrastructure [1, 4].

“"Let the cinema halls reopen, we can no longer stand those tiny rooms."”

Quattrocchi's critique reflects a broader systemic struggle in the European film market to balance the rise of streaming and small-scale multiplexes with the preservation of the cinematic experience. By labeling current screening rooms as 'tiny,' she is signaling that the industry's physical infrastructure is failing to match the artistic quality of the films being produced.