At the fourth Videoclip Italia Awards on May 17th -  and the first held in Milan - Nicolò Bassetto’s feminist vision for Lamante won three major awards, while Damiano David and Novze collected two awards each, with a strong showing of self-produced, low-budget music videos challenging the grip of output from the major labels.

The awards ceremony, hosted at Base Milano and preceded by industry panels and networking sessions, celebrated outstanding projects chosen by an international jury of music video professionals.

Lamante and director Nicolò Bassetto (above) emerged as the night’s big winners, taking home three awards for Non chiamarmi bella, a playful and ironic feminist anthem. They video claimed Best Italian Music Video, Best Alternative Video, and the Student Jury Award. The duo had previously won Best Alternative Video last year with a previous collaboration, L’ultimo piano.

Pop icon Damiano David and rising artist Novze also saw strong recognition. David’s Silverlines (produced by Partizan) won Best Pop Video and Best Production Design, while Novze’s J’existe, directed by Marco Pacchiana, earned awards for Best Cinematography (Federico Di Maria) and Best Editing (Leo Ferrari).

Simone Peluso was named Director of the Year (Vision Award, in partnership with Kodak and Panalight), thanks to his versatile work across both mainstream and experimental visuals — from Angelina Mango’s pop productions to the raw aesthetic of Me, July.

In the Best Young Director category (under 25, sponsored by Hollyland), Gabriele Redaelli from Milan (b. 2000) took the prize, while animation pioneer Donato Sansone won Best Rock Video for his surreal work on Water Tanks by I Hate My Village.

Independent productions had a standout year: The Frog’s Larry, shot on a tight budget by Federico Munari, won Best Low Budget Video, while the Extraclip section - dedicated to hybrid formats like short films and documentaries for musical storytelling — was claimed by Giada Bossi for Chiamare casa sempre lo stesso posto, an ambitious 18-minute piece created with avant-pop artist Arssalendo, which was also nominated at the last UKMVAs.

The 2025 edition marked a clear shift toward fresh talent and creative independence, while established production house Borotalco collected three trophies in technical categories, with Billboard Italia also awarding them for Tuta Gold by Mahmood, directed by Attilio Cusani.

Among major labels, Universal Music (Island Records) led the way with five awards, confirming their visual strategy, while Sony Music followed with two.

“This year’s winners show how an international jury can highlight creativity and vision over name recognition or industry status," commented Videoclip Italia festival directors Alessio Rosa and Nicola Marceddu. "We're proud to support a new generation of directors and craftspeople who are reshaping the music video language.”

• Full list of winners of Videoclip Italia 2025 here