Documentary explores bloodsucking, but not by real vampires

One of this year’s special screenings is an Italian documentary that says democracy is going down the drain in Italy and which led that country’s culture minister to boycott the festival. Despite the title, Draquila, L’Italia che trema (Draquila, Italy Trembles), director Sabina Guzzanti stresses that it’s not exactly a typical horror film.

Sabina Guzzanti

The title derives from L’Aquila, the name of the southern Italian city devastated by a major earthquake in April 2009. The film shows the city in its ruined state as it criticises prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s response to the disaster.

Director, actress and writer Guzzanti is like an Italian Michael Moore, raking through television archives to present Berlusconi and his close allies to be cheating Italy, getting rich on dubious construction projects and depriving Italians of their fundamental freedoms.

Known for her impersonations of Berlusconi and other politicians, Guzzanti knows how make people laugh, and she has caused waves in Italy before. Her 2005 documentary Viva Zapatero tells her side of the story about her political satire programme being axed.

She’s doing it again this year with Draquila, but doesn’t hold back on showing a sad state of affairs. The laughs are there, but this sets out to be a very serious film.