A summer preview featuring the greats of Italian cinema: the Carbonia Film Festival kicks off with "Iddu - The Last Godfather," screening at the Mirastelle Arena next Tuesday, August 5th, starting at 9:30 pm. Making the evening even more special are the participation of directors Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia, acclaimed for their film Sicilian Ghost Story, and actress Barbora Bobulova, one of the film's leading ladies.
An exceptional evening that opens the proceedings for the new edition of the festival, scheduled from 5 to 9 November 2025 , a well-established event for film lovers and, as always, organized by the Società Umanitaria di Carbonia under the artistic direction of Francesco Giai Via.
“Iddu - The Last Godfather” is inspired by judicial documents and biographical data concerning the last great boss of Cosa Nostra, Matteo Messina Denaro , played by Elio Germano, and tells the story of his relationship with the fictional character of Catello Palumbo, brought to the stage by Toni Servillo.
"We began developing Iddu in 2020, three years before Matteo Messina Denaro's arrest," explain Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia. "What we discovered about his life from the moment of his arrest onward confirmed the insights we had gained over the years of studying this figure, when the public regarded the fugitive as an indecipherable ghost and there was even doubt as to whether he was still alive. Matteo Messina Denaro's letters had indeed given us a surprising and unexpected glimpse into the private life of this famous criminal, who seemed to be well-read—now confirmed by the quantity of books found in his last hideouts—and a penchant for cinema . The so-called 'pizzini,' through which he managed his clandestine life and his criminal affairs, transcended their practical function of criminal communication, demonstrating a certain flair for the use of language and the ability to modulate tone and language according to the different recipients."
The screenplay for "Iddu" draws free inspiration from his notes, and in particular from the 2004 correspondence between the fugitive and the former mayor of Castelvetrano, and from the context—tragic and ridiculous, paradoxical and very real—that those letters reveal.
The Carbonia Film Festival thus renews its mission to be a meeting place for cinema, culture, and social reflection, a true observatory on crucial contemporary issues. The screening of "Iddu - The Last Godfather" ideally follows in the footsteps of Cinema Sotto le Stelle Carbonia , as the closing event and special event, as well as a preview of the 2025 Carbonia Film Festival, for an evening combining genre cinema and civil unity.
(Unioneonline)