About the film
Bravo Bene! is a 2025 documentary film from Italy, directed by Franco Maresco and in Italian. It is a mockumentary centered on Maresco’s unsuccessful efforts to make a film project about Carmelo Bene, an Italian actor, filmmaker and poet who lived from 1937 to 2002. The subject is therefore both the proposed project and the difficulties Maresco faces in trying to bring it to the screen.
For documentary viewers, the film offers a portrait shaped around a director’s attempt to engage with the work and legacy of another Italian filmmaker and performer. Its listed genre is documentary film, while its mockumentary approach gives the story a constructed, self-reflexive frame. The film is identified as a 2025 release, with Franco Maresco credited as both maker and director.
Who it is for
It may suit viewers interested in Italian cinema, Carmelo Bene, or films about the challenges of making a film project.
Worth knowing
- Directed by Franco Maresco
- Focuses on Carmelo Bene
- Italian-language film
- Released in 2025
Before you press play
- Centers on a project that Maresco fails to film
The short of it
Bravo Bene! follows Maresco’s failed effort to make a project about Carmelo Bene, combining Italian cinema subject matter with a mockumentary form. It is a focused choice for viewers drawn to that filmmaker and the process of trying to make a film about him.