2024, Italy, 95 min., Feature, Dark Comedy, Drama
Fabrizio Benvenuto
Farbizio Benvenuto
Sebastian Bonolis
Pierluigi Gigante, Alessio Lapice, Morena Gentile, Adriano Giannini, Elisabetta Ventura, Anna Redi, Ermanno De Biagi, Pierfrancesco Nacca, Josafat Vagni, Matteo Amaturo
Morena Gentile
Giancarlo Mangiapane is thirty years old and has only one dream: to become a great actor. But meaningful roles never arrive, so Giancarlo ends up performing in everyday life by inventing identities and characters. Finally, his agent tells him he has the opportunity of a lifetime: a leading-role audition for “Clochard”, a biopic about Gustavo Noradin, a 1950s tap-dancing champion who fell into disgrace. When Giancarlo discovers that his roommate is also preparing for the same role, a rivalry is born that quickly turns into an obsession. His immersion in the role becomes total — until it begins to threaten his real identity.

Fabrizio Benvenuto
Fabrizio Benvenuto was born in Italy on June 27, 1992. His cinematic path was influenced by Alfred Hitchcock during his film courses at IULM University in Milan. He graduated with honors in 2018 from RUFA (Rome University of Fine Arts). In 2015, he co-directed his first short film, “Il miracolo”, which received a Special Mention at the Nastri d’Argento. In June 2024, he directed his first feature film, “The Protagonist”, an invitation to recognize ourselves in the protagonist’s fragility and madness while pursuing our own journey.
FILMOGRAPHY
2024 – The Protagonist
FESTIVALS, AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
