Riccardo Milani's 'Grazie ragazzi' brings theatre into Italian prisons

The film 'Grazie ragazzi', directed by Riccardo Milani and produced by Palomar and Wildside, opens in 450 Italian cinemas on January 12. It follows a washed-up actor who survives by dubbing porn films and ends up leading a theatre workshop in an Italian prison, working with five inmates who have no artistic aspirations. The film is an adaptation of the French film 'Un triomphe' by Emmanuel Courcol, which was loosely inspired by a true story from Sweden in 1985. Milani and screenwriter Michele Astori adapted it to an Italian context. The inmates stage Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot', a play about waiting, which Milani notes resonates with prisoners waiting for visits, air, or release. The cast includes Antonio Albanese, Sonia Bergamasco, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Vinicio Marchioni, Giacomo Ferrara, and Andrea Lattanzi. Milani describes the film as focusing on humanity, including prisoners, guards, directors, and actors. The film's tour involved theatres in difficult conditions, some abandoned, which was emotional for the crew. Albanese's character seeks humanity where it is crushed, and the film argues that art, cinema, and theatre can educate and help people improve. Milani is known for addressing social issues like respect for rules and education in a simple way.