26/09/2024 - Filming has kicked off on the series about the famous TV presenter unfairly accused of Camorra involvement, toplined by Fabrizio Gifuni

Director Marco Bellocchio on the set of Portobello (© Anna Camerlingo)

Shooting has kicked off in Rome on the new project by acclaimed director Marco Bellocchio: the series Portobello, which focuses on the true story of Enzo Tortora, a clamorous miscarriage of justice which rocked Italy in the 1980s. The 6-episode series about the famous presenter of TV show Portobello – on air for seven editions from 1977 – who was accused by several cooperating witnesses of being part of a Camorra-linked association dedicated to drugs trafficking. Tortora was thrown into prison and tried for years before being definitively cleared of all charges.

“Tortora suffered a great injustice: he was arrested, tried and sentenced, and only totally cleared after a long legal odyssey. He was a fighter, but the fight made him ill and ultimately took his life. I won’t turn him into a saint, I’ll dig deep down into this man’s story in a series, because a film couldn’t contain it”, Marco Bellocchio explained.

Bellochio’s most recent accolades include an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where he presented his documentary Marx Can Wait [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], five David di Donatello awards in 2020 thanks to The Traitor [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Marco Bellocchio
film profile], four David di Donatello trophies in 2023 for his series Exterior Night [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Marco Bellocchio
series profile], and five David di Donatello prizes in 2024 courtesy of his most recent film, Kidnapped [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. All of the above-mentioned works were also presented in Cannes.

The cast of Portobello stars Fabrizio Gifuni (awarded the Best Actor David di Donatello trophy for Exterior Night and the Best Supporting Actor David for Human Capital [+see also:
trailer
interview: Paolo Virzì
film profile]) stepping into the shoes of Enzo Tortora, Lino Musella (recently seen in the Venice Film Festival gracing Feeling Better [+see also:
film review
film profile] and High Stakes – A Night in the Ward [+see also:
interview: Giovanni Dota
film profile]), Romana Maggiora Vergano (the young revelation from There Is Still Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] who starred alongside Gifuni in The Times It Takes [+see also:
film review
interview: Francesca Comencini
film profile], screened out of competition in Venice), Barbora Bobulova (recently seen at the Venice Film Festival in Sicilian Letters [+see also:
film review
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interview: Fabio Grassadonia and Anton…
film profile]), Alessandro Preziosi (Loose Cannons [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and the series The Lying Life of Adults) and Fausto Russo Alesi (Kidnapped, Exterior Night). The series was written by Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises (with Adagio [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] and the series M. Son of the Century among his latest works), Giordana Mari (of Cattiva coscienza [+see also:
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film profile] and the series My Love) and Peppe Fiore (Lovely Boy [+see also:
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interview: Francesco Lettieri
film profile] and the series Thou Shalt Not Kill).

Portobello is the first series produced by Our Films, a company founded by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani (which is part of the Mediawan group) and the leading independent European studio for audiovisual content. The show is being produced in league with Bellocchio, Francesca Calvelli and Simone Gattoni's firm, Kavac Film, in co-production with ARTE France and in collaboration with The Apartment Pictures (of the Fremantle group).

As well as in Rome, filming on Portobello will also unfold in Sardinia, Campania and Lombardy. The series will be released shortly in both cinemas and on TV.

(Translated from Italian)