Viva Zapatero! (2005)

Directed by: Sabina Guzzanti | 80 minutes | documentary | Starring: Rory Bremner, Enzo Biagi, Dario Fo, Bruno Gaccio, Beppe Grillo, Sabina Guzzanti, Silvio Berlusconi, Daniele Luttazzi, Neri Marcore, David Riondino, Michele Santoro, Marco Travaglio, Roberto Herlitzka, Karl Zero

Silvio Berlusconi exercises a total media dictatorship in Italy. The most powerful newspapers and TV channels are directly or indirectly (through friends or family) in his hands. All substantive criticism of his regime is censored away. Sharp journalistic programs have to make way for cooking shows or light-hearted shows in which Berlusconi even often makes an appearance.

Sabina Guzzanti made a satirical program called RaiOt (pronounced riot) that was taken off the channel after one episode. The reason was stated that her program is not satire but insulting political libel. A lawsuit followed in which Guzzanti was found in the right, but as a result of which she did not get her program back. But Guzzanti didn’t stop there and decided to make this at times sharp documentary on her own.

First of all, she asks whether satire without political slander is conceivable at all. With this question she ends up on various European satirical programs including Kopnagels in which Queen Beatrix and Prime Minister Balkenende have to pay the price. In England, the royal family has been ridiculed almost traditionally for decades, such as Spitting Image.

But the Netherlands already has a tradition to uphold in that regard. Thanks to Wim T. Schippers, the Netherlands was able to see Queen Juliana peeling Brussels sprouts on TV in the 1970s. It resulted in parliamentary questions and the VPRO lost some members. In ‘Viva Zapatero!’ Sabina Guzzanti takes to the streets to confront parliamentarians and lawyers with difficult questions. The flight behavior shown is both telling and hilarious.

Italy ranks among a number of African countries in terms of freedom of speech (measured by the strength of the opposition in parliament). The success of the film indicates that many Italians are more than tired of that situation. At the Venice Film Festival, ‘Viva Zapatero!’ received a twenty-minute standing ovation.