Holocaust film sweeps Italian Oscars

ROME, July 6 (JTA) — “La Vita e’ Bella,” a tragi-comic movie largely set in a Nazi death camp, this week swept the David of Donatello awards, the Italian film industry’s version of the Oscars. “La Vita e’ Bella” (Life is Beautiful), starring, directed and co-written by comedian Roberto Benigni, tells the story of a Jewish father’s desperate attempts to shield his small son from the horrors of the camp. Among the honors bestowed on it Sunday, the movie won the prize for best film, and Benigni won for best director, best actor in a leading role and, with his co-writer, best screenplay.