The premiere at the festival

The 21st edition of the Festa del Cinema di Roma hosted the preview of 'Livatino - Il giudice e i suoi assassini', a miniseries directed by Michele Placido. Culture minister Alessandro Giuli and his wife, Valeria Falcioni, walked the red carpet before the screening. President Sergio Mattarella attended the preview. The series is a coproduction of Rai Fiction, Goldenart Production and Rai Com, and it covers the last two years of Livatino's life, from 1988 to 1990. The festival screened the first two of the four episodes.

Livatino and the story

Rosario Livatino was killed by the mafia on 21 September 1990, at the age of 37, on the road from Canicattì to the courthouse in Agrigento. He became the first magistrate to be beatified, in 2021. Giuseppe De Domenico plays Livatino, while Leonardo Maltese plays one of the young stiddari who challenge the cosche in 1980s Agrigento and become his killers. The plot follows Livatino as he builds an increasingly effective strategy against organized crime, backed by Falcone, played by Beniamino Marcone, and Borsellino, played by David Coco, and as he becomes a target. Other cast members include Nino Frassica, Michela De Rossi, Ninni Bruschetta, Brenno Placido and Francesco Benigno.

Placido on civic cinema

Speaking to reporters at the festival, Placido said Italian cinema should return to making films about civic commitment. He pointed to young directors such as Strippoli, whom he believes deserve more support from producers and from Rai. Placido named Francesco Rosi, Elio Petri and Damiano Damiani as the directors of the civic cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, and he said he has an idea for a small film about a current reality.

“Italian cinema should go back to making more works about civic commitment today. A series like this can be instructive.”

Placido also suggested that Livatino might today investigate the planned Strait of Messina bridge, given fears about who could become involved in the project. He recalled visiting Livatino's home, where he found videocassettes that included episodes of La Piovra. In the series, a cameo by Placido recreates the death of Commissario Cattani from that show.

Youth, trust and the series' message

Placido reflected on young people's discontent and the limited trust in the state, saying civic films could be shown in schools to push students to make choices. He recalled that people still tell him they chose to become police officers or carabinieri after watching La Piovra. De Domenico said the series aims to bring people closer to credibility rather than to a belief in justice that may drift away from everyday reality. He put it this way:

“We need to understand which values are the inner compasses each of us has for making choices.”

He linked those choices to everyday life, at home, at work and with colleagues, where their consequences play out.

Broadcast dates and Mattarella's presence

Placido said the team had not expected Mattarella's attendance and called it a great emotion. Mattarella's brother, Piersanti Mattarella, then president of the Sicilian regional government, was killed by the mafia in 1980. Rai 1 will air the four episodes across two prime-time evenings, on 9 and 10 November, and RaiPlay also carries the series.

The timeline above sets out the key dates, from the 1980 killing of Piersanti Mattarella to the November broadcast of the series.