Italian-Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek's drama Facing Windows (La Finestra di Fronte) has scored the biggest number of nominations at the Donatellos, Italy's Oscars, winning 11 nods in all the main categories.

But competition for the awards on April 9 is set to be the strongest it has been in recent years, with a host of contenders earning a lengthy list of nominations on the shoulders of exceptionally strong box office success over the past year.

Reflecting the recent success of local films , the David di Donatello committee has decided this year to widen the number of candidates in each category from three to five.

So, hot on the heels of the Ozpetek film which stars Italian pin-up Raoul Bova and Giovanna Mezzogiorno in a story of repressed emotions and frustrated dreams, is Gabriele Muccino's bittersweet drama Remember Me, which has earned 10 nominations; Matteo Garrone's Embalmer, about the friendship between a dwarf embalmer and a young man, has nine nominations.

Also in the running is Pupi Avati's Il Cuore Altrove, a drama about a blind 35-year-old and his affair with a young girl, with nominations in seven categories; Marco Bellocchio's arthouse hit Hour Of Religion, and Roberto Benigni's Italian blockbuster Pinocchio, each have six nominations.

Box office receipts for all the above films have been particularly impressive: since its release on February 28, Facing Windows has grossed a huge Euros 5.1m for Mikado; Medusa's Remember Me has provided Muccino with his second blockbuster after The Last Kiss, earning Euros 9.6m; Avati's Il Cuore Altrove has made Euros 1.4m for 01 Distribution; Istituto Luce earned Euros 2.2m in 2002 with Bellocchio's Hour Of Religion; and Medusa's Pinocchio grossed Euros 26.2m.

Notably, in the best producer category, Domenico Procacci received three separate nominations, for The Embalmer, Respiro and Remember Me

Nominations for the David di Donatellos:

BEST FILM
Facing Windows (La finestra di fronte)
The Embalmer (L'imbalsamatore)
Hour of Religion - My Mother's Smile (L'Ora di Religione)
Respiro
Remember Me (Ricordati di me)

BEST DIRECTOR
Pupi Avati (Il cuore altrove)
Marco Bellocchio (Hour Of Religion)
Matteo Garrone (The Embalmer)
Gabriele Muccino (Remember Me)
Ferzan Ozpetek (Facing Windows)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Casomai
Facing Windows
The Embalmer
It Can't Be All Our Fault
The Hour Of Religion
Remember Me

BEST ACTOR
Roberto Benigni (Pinocchio)
Fabrizio Bentivoglio (Remember Me)
Sergio Castellitto (Hour Of Religion)
Massimo Girotti (Facing Windows)
Neri Marcore (Il Cuore Altrove)
Fabio Volo (Casomai)

BEST ACTRESS
Donatella Finocchiaro (Angela)
Valeria Golino (Respiro)
Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Facing Windows)
Laura Morante (Remember Me)
Stefania Rocca (Casomai)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Antonio Catania (It Can't Be All Our Fault)
Pierfrancesco Favino (El Alamein)
Giancarlo Giannini (Il cuore altrove)
Ernesto Mahieux (The Embalmer)
Kim Rossi Stuart (Pinocchio)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Monica Bellucci (Remember Me)
Piera Degli Esposti (Hour Of Religion)
Serra Yilmaz (Facing Windows)
Francesca Neri (La felicità non costa niente)
Nicoletta Romanoff (Remember Me)

BEST EDITOR
Claudio Di Mauro (Remember Me)
Patrizio Marone (Facing Windows)
Amedeo Salfa (Il cuore altrove)
Marco Spoletini (The Embalmer)
Cecilia Zanuso (El Alamein)

BEST SOUND
Maurizio Argentieri (Casomai)
Gaetano Carito (Remember Me)
Gaetano Carito (Velocità massima)
Marco Grillo (Facing Windows)
Andrea Giorgio Moser (El Alamein)

BEST NEW DIRECTOR
Francesco Falaschi (Emma sono io)
Mellara-Rossi (Fortezza Bastiani)
Marco Simon Puccioni (Quello che cerchi)
Scimoni-Sframeli (Due amici)
Daniele Vicari (Velocità massima)

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Chicago
Talk To Her
The Pianist
The Hours
The Man On The Train

BEST PRODUCER
Elda Ferri (The Soul Keeper)
Domenico Procacci (The Embalmer)
Domenico Procacci (Respiro)
Domenico Procacci (Remember Me)
Romoli-Corsi (Facing Windows)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER
Maurizio Calvesi (Soul Keeper)
Gianfilippo Corticelli (Facing Windows)
Daniele Nannuzzi (El Alamein)
Marco Onorato (The Embalmer)
Dante Spinotti (Pinocchio)
Fabio Zamarion (Respiro)

BEST MUSIC
Banda Osiris (The Embalmer)
Pivio e Aldo De Scalzi (Casomai)
Andrea Guerra (Facing Windows)
Riz Ortolani (Il cuore altrove)
Nicola Piovani (Pinocchio)

BEST SET DESIGNER
Danilo Donati (Pinocchio)
Paolo Bonfini (The Embalmer)
Giantito Burchiellaro (The Soul Keeper)
Marco Dentici (Hour Of Religion)
Simona Migliotti (Il cuore altrove)

BEST COSTUME DESIGNER
Carlini-Crivellini (Il cuore altrove)
Danilo Donati (Pinocchio)
Elena Mannini (A Voyage Called Love)
Francesca Sartori (The Soul Keeper)
Andrea Viotti (El Alamein)

BEST SHORT FILM
Racconto di guerra, Mario Amaura
Radioportogutenbergh, Alessandro Vannucci
Regalo di Natale, Daniele De Plano
Rosso Fango, Paolo Ameli
Space Off, Tino Franco