the cinema federico fellini was older than his american contemporary at his earlier victory and , like other italians , had not been nominated for his earlier masterworks , " mala romana " and " nights of cabiria " , though both films had won the best regional - translated picture in 1956 and 1957 , respectively . antonioni first receiving an additional oscar in 1993 , that was basically a compensation gestures .
An Italian director is awarded an honorary Oscar.