The Day of the Owl (film)

The Day of the Owl
Film poster
Italian	Il giorno della civetta
Directed by	Damiano Damiani
Screenplay by	Ugo Pirro Damiano Damiani
Based on	The Day of the Owl by Leonardo Sciascia
Produced by	Ermanno Donati Luigi Carpentieri
Starring	Claudia Cardinale Franco Nero Lee J. Cobb Nehemiah Persoff Tano Cimarosa Serge Reggiani
Cinematography	Tonino Delli Colli
Edited by	Nino Baragli
Music by	Giovanni Fusco
Production companies	Panda Cinematografica Les Films Corona
Distributed by	Euro International Film
Release dates	17 February 1968 (1968-02-17) (Italy) 7 May 1969 (1969-05-07) (France)
Running time	108 minutes[1]
Countries	Italy France
Language	Italian
Box office	₤1.335 billion

The Day of the Owl (Italian: Il giorno della civetta, released in the United States as Mafia) is a 1968 Italian–French crime drama film directed by Damiano Damiani, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Leonardo Sciascia, adapted for the screen by Damiani and Ugo Pirro. It stars Franco Nero, Claudia Cardinale, and Lee J. Cobb. Set in a small Sicilian town, the story follows a Carabinieri chief investigating a murder, hampered by the deep-seated presence of the Mafia that perpetuates a culture of silence.

The film was shown in competition at the 1968 Berlin International Film Festival and won three David di Donatello Award: Best Film, Best Actor (Franco Nero), and Best Actress (Claudia Cardinale).