Starring popular comic duo Salvatore Ficarra & Valentino Picone (Strangeness IFF23) and festival favourite Toni Servillo (also in La Grazia and Sicilian Letters), The Illusion is a fun re-imagining of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign that unified Italy.

1860. Young idealists from all regions of Italy join Giuseppe Garibaldi (Tommaso Ragno) in Quarto, near Genoa, for the adventure of the “Mille.” With his faithful group of officers, including the loyal Colonel Vincenzo Giordano Orsini (Servillo), Garibaldi recruits volunteers for the expedition. Among the many soldiers recruited are two (fictitious) Sicilians, peasant farmer Domenico Tricò (Ficarra), and noble yet penniless trickster Rosario Spitale (Picone).

Landing at Marsala, Sicily, the “Mille” begins fighting with Bourbon army, whose superior numbers are immediately evident, and it seems impossible to breach enemy lines. But when he is almost forced to retreat, Garibaldi devises an ingenious plan.

Directed and co-written by Roberto Andò (Strangeness IFF23) this entertaining tale blends comedy and drama to illuminate a piece of history, exploring the paradoxes of Sicilian identity.

Italian language with English subtitles.