italy actor henry bertolucci was larger than his americans friends at his first nominee and , like other foreigners , had not been awarded for his earlier masterworks , " sa jacopo " and " nights of cabiria " , though both films had won the top foreign - language movie in 1956 and 1957 , respectively . rossellini only won an italian oscar in 1993 , which was basically a compensatory gesture .
An Italian director is awarded an honorary Oscar.