Shakespeare a Palermo

In the late 1990s, in a dilapidated theater in the heart of Palermo, Carlo Cecchi is working on a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the second play in his Shakespearean trilogy, translated by the poet Patrizia Cavalli. Director Francesca Comencini – who sees Cecchi as the last representative of an Italy not subservient to the media and Berlusconi’s power – decides to follow him and is allowed to film the show’s rehearsals, on the condition that she does it all on her own and with discretion.

Directed by Francesca Comencini, Shakespeare a Palermo leans on a strong ensemble — Carlo Cecchi, Iaia Forte, Valerio Binasco — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1997.