26/09/2014 - Filming of The average Italian , the internet and TV star’s directing debut, kicks off. A Lotus and Medusa production, in cinemas from March 2015

Another Italian comedian makes the leap from the stage to the big screen. On Monday 22 September, in Milan, filming began of the first feature directed by and starring Marcello Macchia, who uses the pseudonym Maccio Capatonda, the internet and TV star known for his comedy sketches and his bizarre movie trailer parodies.  

Produced by Marco Belardi for Lotus Production and by Medusa Film, The Average Italian (the movie’s provisional title) will see a strong cast of upcoming actors working alongside Capatonda: Herbert Ballerina (Luigi Luciano), Lavinia Longhi, Barbara Tabita, Rupert Sciamenna (Franco Mari), Gabriella Franchini, Francesco Sblendorio, Rodolfo D’Andrea, Matteo Bassofin, Anna Pannocchia (Adelaide Manselli), Ivo Avido (Enrico Venti) and with the participation of Nino Frassica.

The screenplay, written by Marcello Macchia, Marco Alessi, Sergio Spaccavento, Daniele Grigolo, Danilo Carlani and Luigi Luciano, recaptures and develops  a  mock trailer filmed by the comedian a few years ago, which became an online success. Giulio Verme is a staunch environmentalist suffering from depression, who, on the brink of turning forty, finds himself  sorting rubbish in a waste recycling plant in the outskirts of Milan. Depressed, he has become incapable of interacting with anyone: with his work colleagues, with his neighbours, with his family and with Franca, his lifelong companion. However, one day he meets Alfonzo, his old and hated schoolmate who has a cure for all of his ills: a miraculous pill that will make him use just 2% of his brain rather than 20%, as is commonly said. And that’s how Giulio overcomes his depression: he no longer cares about the environment, only about himself, about women, about the vices, passions and virtues of every average Italian. Gulio’s mind and life thus become consumed by a free-for-all battle between the Average Italian and the committed but vacillating citizen, which will not only turn him into the most famous VIP in Italy but, which will also lead him to change a huge part of his life...

Filming of The Average Italian will take place for six weeks in Milan. The movie will be distributed in Italy by Medusa Film and will be released in cinema theatres in March 2015.

(Translated from Italian)