‘Il camorrista’, the science fiction series by Giuseppe Tornatore, premieres at the Rome Film Festival

In 1985, years before he won the Oscar for cinema Paradisoa young man Giuseppe Tornatore led an ambitious one television series that told the origins, codes and political ties of the Italian mafia, but it was never broadcast and the tapes were forgotten to this day, almost 40 years later.

The Rome Film Festival has finally premiered The camorrista, the unknown television fiction that was shot at the same time as the 1986 film of the same namea film that lasted barely two months in theaters due to lawsuits filed by some leaders of the Nuova Camorra, the mafia that inspired the script.

“The series was never broadcast, It lay in the warehouses for 38 years and disappeared until recently, when it was found and restored. Now it has a modern patina,” the filmmaker said at a press conference.

Surprise the high level of production of each of the five chapters that make up the series, produced several decades before titles like Game of Thrones or The wire They will elevate titles designed for the small screen to cinema status in what has been called “the golden age of television.”

According to Tornatore it is That “miracle” happened thanks to producer Goffredo Lombardo, who are aware of the difficulty of financing such a grand debut, He suggested filming a television production at the same time that would expand the plot and evolution of the characters.

“He has since made a bet that was way ahead of its time In 1985, the fever of television series was still far awayTornatore admitted.

The movie and the series They told the rise and fall of Raffaele Cutolo, one of the most important bosses of the 1970s. founder of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata and nickname The teacher for his intellectual appearance and enthusiastic interest in writing.

Cutolo, who spent most of his life in prison, He was able to create and lead a criminal organization that at its peak had more than 7,000 members. mainly from Naples, rivaled the Sicilian Camorra and forged alliances with the Calabrian Ndrangheta.

“I wanted to explain how a criminal organization emerged, grew big and then disappeared.‘recalled Tornatore, who he started filming at the age of 28, three years before he won the Oscar for Best International Film cinema Paradiso.

After its theatrical release in 1986, The film was withdrawn after two months due to lawsuits and defamation complaints filed by some of the criminals from whom the characters were inspired. It was not reprogrammed in Italy until 1994, when it was broadcast by Rete4, Mediaset’s secondary channel.

Such a setback frustrated every attempt to make the series part of a television program.

For now, the future of The camorrista (the series) is uncertain outside of exhibition at festivals, because commercial distribution is not guaranteed, even on a platform streaming.

‘I don’t know his future, I have no news. But since the film has lived a remarkable life, I don’t rule out its return to the warehouse for another 38 years.the director joked.