Veteran Italian director Ermanno Olmi has been awarded the Best Director prize for Profession Of The Arms at Italy's prestigious St Vincent Prize, a pre-eminent festival designed to promote Italian cinema abroad.

Profession Of The Arms, a tale of 16th century warfare, screened in competition at Cannes. It is also one of the titles that could make it onto the Italian commission's shortlist for the country's foreign Oscar nominee.

Producers Lugi Musini and Roberto Cicutto of Rome's Mikado Film took the Best Producer's award for Olmi's film.

Other awards went to Paolo Sorrentino, who won Best Screenplay for his Venice title, L'Uomo In Piu, and Vincenzo Marra, who was voted Best Emerging Director for his tale of Sicilian fishermen, Sailing Home (Tornando A Casa).

Toni Servillo won the Best Actor prize for his role in l'Uomo In Piu, the tale of a has-been football player and singer. Sandra Ceccharelli won the Best Actress prize for Giuseppe Piccioni's Light Of My Eyes (Luce Dei Miei Occhi).

The public's prize was awarded to Renzo Martinelli for Vajont, and legendary brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, whose latest film, Resurrection, screened in the northern Italian mountain resort, received a Career Award.