VENICE – A middle-aged journalist the world seems to benignly ignore and a performer idolized by the public for no apparent reason are the characters at the heart of a feverish journey into identity and illusion in Giaffa the Great, debut feature from Marco Santi, and the opening film of the Settimana Internazionale della Critica at the 41st Venice Film Festival. The director uses this existential noir to question how much of our identity is truly ours and how much belongs to the gaze of others. Edoardo Pesce plays an alienated man, Giacomo Falta, who observes the happiness of others from a distance, unable to find his place in the world. The turning point in his life comes attending a performance by the Great Jason, a charismatic star beloved by the public, as Giacomo convinces himself that he can be transformed into a successful man, perceived by others as "a great" by copying Jason’s gestures and words. In the attempt to reinvent himself, Giacomo gets lost in a very long night, where the dream of being someone else becomes dangerously real and identity blurs with illusion: "At the intersection of comedy and dark fairy tale, the film explores the universal need to be seen, loved, and recognized: that profound desire to finally feel a sense of belonging, even at the cost of losing ourselves," notes the director. "This is a story about identity, about the masks we wear, and about the temptation, perhaps common to everyone, to live someone else's life at least once."
"More than a tragicomedy, it's a dark fairy tale. We evoked that atmosphere by choosing to set it in an isolated, self-contained, timeless town. This is a story that could take place today or twenty years ago" notes Marco Santi, referring to the film's claustrophobic setting - a temporal and geographical bubble whose alienating cold light and disturbing flashing neon represent the oppressive, self-referential province.
Giaffa the Great was produced by 10D Film and Andromeda Film with the contribution of the PR FESR Piemonte 2021-2027 – "Piemonte Film TV Fund" call, with support from the Film Commission Torino Piemonte and the contribution of the Ministry of Culture.
Four weeks of filming (9 January – 7 February 2026) took place in Cuneo and province, including Busca, Cuneo, Fossano, and Savigliano (see the ON SET factsheet). Local professionals were involved on both the technical and artistic sides, amounting to 35 (approx. 80%) of the crew (43 strong). The supporting cast included a large number of Piedmont actors, plus approx. 200 extras.