A feverish journey between identity and illusion is at the heart of Il grande Giaffa, Marco Santi's debut feature, which opened the 41st International Critics' Week at 83rd Venice Film Festival starring Edoardo Pesce as an alienated journalist unable to find his place in the world. The director uses this existential noir to question how much of our identity truly belongs to us and how much to the gaze of others.
Four weeks of filming (9 January – 7 February, 2026) took place in Cuneo and province, including Busca, Cuneo, Fossano, and Savigliano; the dark fairy-tale is set in an isolated, self-contained town out of time. "This is a story that could take place in the present day or twenty years ago," comments Marco Santi, referring to the film's claustrophobic setting, a temporal and geographical bubble, evoked with alienating cold and disturbing flashing neon light, that embodies the idea of ??an oppressive, self-contained province. The technical and artistic casts included professionals from Piedmont: approximately 80% of the 43 strong crew were Piedmontese (35) while a large number of local actors appeared in the supporting cast, in addition to approximately 200 extras.
A feverish journey between identity and illusion is at the heart of Il grande Giaffa, Marco Santi's debut feature, which opened the 41st International Critics' Week at 83rd Venice Film Festival starring Edoardo Pesce as an alienated journalist unable to find his place in the world. The director uses this existential noir to question how much of our identity truly belongs to us and how much to the gaze of others.
Four weeks of filming (9 January – 7 February, 2026) took place in Cuneo and province, including Busca, Cuneo, Fossano, and Savigliano; the dark fairy-tale is set in an isolated, self-contained town out of time. "This is a story that could take place in the present day or twenty years ago," comments Marco Santi, referring to the film's claustrophobic setting, a temporal and geographical bubble, evoked with alienating cold and disturbing flashing neon light, that embodies the idea of ??an oppressive, self-contained province. The technical and artistic casts included professionals from Piedmont: approximately 80% of the 43 strong crew were Piedmontese (35) while a large number of local actors appeared in the supporting cast, in addition to approximately 200 extras.
Andromeda Film, 10D Film
Giacomo Falta is a middle-aged man that the world seems to cordially ignore. Out of focus and unheard, he tries, with little success, to carve out a place for himself in a world with which he has no connection. The turning point comes for him when the " Great Jason", charismatic idol of the moment, arrives in town with his stage show. Giacomo decides to start copying his gestures and words, convinced that simply wearing a mask is enough to count for something and be someone.
