Silvio Soldini's Bread And Tulips (Pane E Tulipani) scooped nine prizes at Italy's leading awards ceremony - the David di Donatellos - last night, including best film, best director and best screenplay for Soldini and Doriana Leondeff.

The film also bagged awards for best actress (Licia Maglietta), best actor (Bruno Ganz), best supporting actress (Marina Massironi) and best sound (Maurizio Argentieri).

Ricky Tognazzi's romantic drama Making Love (Canone Inverso) walked away with the second biggest haul, winning awards for best music (Ennio Morricone), best art direction (Francesco Bronzi) and best editor (Carla Simoncelli).

Ex aequo awards went to Luca Bigazzi (Bread And Tulips) and Fabio Cianchetti (Making Love) for best photography, and Fabrizio Battiston (Bread And Tulips) and Leo Gullotta of (A Good Man) for best supporting actor.

Not surprisingly, the best foreign film award went to Oscar winner Pedro Almodovar for All About My Mother. Alessandro Piva picked up the best new director prize for LaCapaGira, filmed in the Bari dialect and released in Italy with subtitles. The best producer went to Amadeo Pagani for Garage Olimpo, directed by Marco Bechis.

Bread And Tulips is a surprise hit at the Italian box office, winning its audience and critical appeal strictly by word of mouth. The film has been released on only 39 screens and is the only Italian film currently in the country's box office top ten.