''Viva Zapatero!'' is a 2005 documentary by

Sabina Guzzanti Sabina Guzzanti (born 25 July 1963) is an Italian satire, satirist, actress, writer, and producer whose work is devoted to examining social and political life in Italy. Early life Born in Rome as the eldest daughter of celebrated Italian Pundit ...

telling her side of the story regarding the conflict with

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

over a late-night TV political satire show broadcast on Rai 3. The show, ''RAIot'' (a play on the name of the Italian state public TV: ''

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

'', and the English word ''

riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

''), lampooned prime minister Berlusconi. Since it was not considered a satirical show, but a political one, it was cancelled after the first episode.

Origin

''Viva Zapatero!'' is titled after the famous "

Viva Zapata! ''Viva Zapata!'' is a 1952 American biographical Western film directed by Elia Kazan, dramatizing the life of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata from his peasant upbringing through his rise to power in the early 1900s and his death in 1919. I ...

" and it also refers to the then Spanish Prime minister,

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. O ...

, who, immediately after gaining power in Spain in April 2004, ensured that the head of the state-run public broadcaster would no longer be a political appointee (as opposed to Italy).

Story

The TV broadcasting of the satirical program RAIot was censored in November 2003 after the comedian, Sabina Guzzanti, made outspoken criticism of the Berlusconi media empire.

Mediaset Mediaset S.p.A. is an Italian mass media and television production and distribution company that is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The company is controlled by the holding company MFE – MediaForEurope (the original ...

, one of

Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

's companies, sued the Italian state broadcasting company RAI because of the Guzzanti show asking for 20 million Euro for "damages" and from November 2003 she was forced to appear only in theatres around Italy. In August 2005, it was the sleeper hit of the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

, receiving a 15-minute

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...

after its premiere screening. When it opened in Italian theaters, over 200,000 people went to see it in the first week. Its success resulted in an invitation to the 2006

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Awards

Official Selection –

2006
Official Selection –

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

2006

References

External links

Official site
*
'Viva Zapatero' and Italian Censorship A film about free speech and the state of the Italian mediaFilmmakers bugged about Berlusconi
* ttp://european-films.net/content/view/159/61/ european-films.net reviewwritten by Boyd van Hoeij
Movie Night: Viva ZapateroViva Zapatero! (2005)
Italian documentary films Documentary films about politics Works about Silvio Berlusconi Italian independent films Italian political satire films Works about censorship Censorship of broadcasting 2005 films 2005 documentary films R.T.I. - Mediaset Films directed by Sabina Guzzanti Autobiographical documentary films {{poli-documentary-film-stub

Origin

Story

Awards

See also

References

External links