Italy Revels in 1st Oscar in 16 Years

Italy basked today in the limelight of an Oscar for Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Cinema Paradiso,” hoping the first Hollywood Academy Award for Italy in 16 years would revitalize its film industry. News of the Oscar for the 34-year-old Sicilian director led all radio and television broadcasts. Politicians and cultural leaders heaped praise on the film, some hoping the honor would inject life in the country’s film industry. Residents of Bagheria, Tornatore’s hometown, took to the streets in the middle of the night to celebrate his win in the foreign language category. It was the first time an Italian-language film had won an Oscar since Federico Fellini took the honors with “Amarcord” in 1974.