Catania, 16 January 2026 — Action. On Monday 19 January, shooting begins in Catania on “ Il Gorilla” , the pilot episode of the TV series produced by the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania as part of the PNRR C-Fabit project (funded by the EU through the MUR — Ministry of University and Research). The first episode is directed by Stefano Quaglia and is based on the cult novel of the same name by Sandrone Dazieri, who co-wrote the screenplay with Luigi Patti.
In making the announcement, the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania and production company “ The Family” also officially reveal the cast of this pilot episode — a psychological noir that leaves 1990s Milan, the setting of Dazieri’ s saga published by Mondadori, to take refuge in the south, in the nights of Catania: a city dense with contrasts, tension and humanity. Ten days of shooting, all from dusk to late evening, to recreate the twilight and nocturnal atmosphere imagined by the screenwriters.
Sandrone, “ Il Gorilla” — a double-natured figure with a primitive, instinctive and fierce alter ego — will be played by Raffaele Esposito. A former student of Luca Ronconi with extensive theatre experience (which earned him the prestigious Premio UBU for best actor under 30 in 2007), Esposito is also one of the most recognisable faces of major Italian TV series. Over twenty years on RAI he has appeared in productions from RIS (2005) to “ Studio Battaglia 2” (2024), including “ Che Dio ci aiuti” , “ DOC nelle tue mani” , “ Don Matteo” , “ Un passo dal cielo” , “ Imma Tataranni” and “ Blanca” . Esposito, 47, born in Lodi to a Neapolitan family, also appeared in the cult Inspector Montalbano episode “ La giostra degli scambi” (2018) directed by Sironi.
Valentina, the successful lawyer who stands beside “ Il Gorilla” Sandrone in his private life and investigations, will be played by Roberta Caronia. From Palermo, 45, she is considered one of the finest actresses of her generation and a winner of prestigious critical awards. She works across theatre, cinema and television (Rai Fiction) without neglecting classical theatre. Directed by filmmakers including Sironi, Pellegrini, Ribuoli, Angelini, Tavarelli, Lodovichi, Marengo and Bonito, on the big screen she has worked with Marco Tullio Giordana (Lea) and Daniele Lucchetti (Momenti di trascurabile felicità), Vincenzo Alfieri (Ai confini del male), and in 2026 she stars in “ La salita” directed by Massimiliano Gallo, presented at the most recent Venice Film Festival.
For the role of Rosa Gardoni — the undisputed matriarch of the powerful Sicilian family whose party sets the story in motion — director Stefano Quaglia has cast a genuine icon of Italian theatre and cinema: the great Lina Sastri. From Naples and a multiple award-winner (3 David di Donatello), Sastri will portray the central matriarchal figure, performing from a wheelchair — a condition that does nothing to diminish her character’ s authority and allure. A strong and cultured woman who, alongside Sandrone, is determined to uncover the truth behind the tragedy that has struck her family.
Director Stefano Quaglia expressed his delight at working with these three leads, who were strongly desired and chosen together with the Academy of Catania: “ Esposito, Caronia and Sastri are three talents of Italian theatre and cinema,” he adds, “ who will give body and personality to the characters, bringing artistic and human richness to the project; the rehearsal phase has already been an important moment of creative exchange.”
The cast is completed by Sicilian actors. All professional crew members involved in the production — audio, lighting, set, production design, costumes, hair and make-up, transport and post-production — will be joined by Cinema Course students from the Academy of Fine Arts, working as assistants: “ A formidable hands-on training experience,” comments Gianpiero Vincenzo, Abact lecturer and PNRR project coordinator, “ that will allow our students to work alongside true professionals, learning first-hand how the great machine of the seventh art operates.”
Adds Ada Bonvini, Partner and CEO of The Family: “ We are delighted to work on a project in which we have sought to bring together high cultural and production value with the involvement of young passion for our craft. It is always a great satisfaction to contribute to the local production landscape, with which we ourselves collaborate. The cultural value of this project will be a very strong driver for our work in promoting any series that may follow.”
The operational base will be Le Ciminiere in Catania where, thanks to an agreement between the Academy of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan City, production offices have been set up for weeks, serving as the logistical base for pre-production and shooting. Le Ciminiere — a cultural hub home to the Museum of Cinema — will also be one of the series’ locations, alongside shoots across the city and in a grand noble villa in the historic centre.
The main objective launched by the Academy of Catania — chaired by Lina Scalisi and directed by Gianni Latino — remains developing a film production hub in the city. This innovative project has also been joined in recent months by the Municipality and the Metropolitan City of Catania which, through collaboration with Mayor Enrico Trantino, have signed cooperation agreements with Abact. “ An unprecedented initiative for Sicily,” comment President Scalisi and Director Latino, “ that will make Catania — a city with a well-established history at the dawn of cinema — a reference point for national and international productions.”
THE CAST OF “ IL GORILLA” , DIRECTED BY STEFANO QUAGLIA
Alongside the three lead actors — Raffaele Esposito, Roberta Caronia and Lina Sastri — the cast includes: Maria Clelia Sciacca, Liborio Natali, Lucia Fossi, Filippo Brazzaventre, Antonio Santagati, Giuseppe Bisicchia, Riccardo Maria Tarci, Benedetta Scuto, Antonio Di Mauro, Silvio Laviano, Alessandro Fricano, Danilo Arena, Simone Oteri, Mattias Armao, Ferdinando Gattuccio, Giuseppe Schillaci, Rachele Leotta, Christian Calarco.
THE PNRR C-FABIT PROJECT
C-Fabit stands for Cinematic Futures: Bridging Art, Technology and Interdisciplinary Training. Drafted by the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania (lead institution), the project can count on funding of over 5.2 million euros (5,248,478.40 euros).
The project’ s objective is to make the Academy of Catania a hub for film production that is also useful to cinema professionals, providing logistical and strategic support for production companies that increasingly choose Sicily as a preferred location for films, TV series, historical and scientific documentaries, and commercials. From an educational standpoint, students have access to an extraordinary hands-on laboratory, developing on-set the professional skills connected to the world of cinema.
Project C-FABIT/PNRR | Press Release no. 1_2026
