Sicilian Letters

From Fabio Grassadoni and Antonio Piazza (Sicilian Ghost Story), this fictionalised mafia story features standout performances from Elio Germano and Toni Servillo. A dangerous liaisons crime drama with blackly comic elements, Sicilian Letters is loosely inspired by true events and real ‘pizzini’ messages by fugitive Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. In early 2000s Sicily, after serving several years in prison for Mafia-related crimes, Catello (Servillo), a long-serving local councillor, has lost everything. When the Italian Secret Service persuades him to help capture Matteo (Germano), the son of his closest friend and the last major Mafia boss still on the run, Catello sees an opportunity. A shrewd man and a tireless illusionist who turns truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth, under their guidance Catello begins to correspond with the fugitive. Exploiting the younger man’s emotional state, Catello’s gamble involves a significant risk, as he plays a game of cat and mouse with one of the most wanted criminals in the world.

Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, directors and screenwriters, made their debut in 2013 with the film Salvo, which won the Grand Prix at Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, they returned to Cannes with Sicilian Ghost Story, which opened Critics’ Week and won the David di Donatello for Best Non-Original Screenplay. Sicilian Letters is their third feature together.