Sabina Guzzanti is an actor and writer of theatrical and TV satire and a director of feature films.

For almost twenty years, Sabina Guzzanti has been a leading opponent to all appointed powers, be it on stage, television or through cinema. Indeed, every time her shows are staged, her stated objective is to satirise political society, unmasking its most obvious defects, vices and lies.

In recent years, Sabina Guzzanti’s work has taken on a more explicitly political style, continually combining satire and irony with steadfast documentation of the facts which are the subject of her attacks.  If in Italy almost the entire press is subjugated to political and economic powers, then at times it is left solely to comedians to accurately reveal glimpses of the reality which is constantly hidden from Italian citizens. Sabina Guzzanti is devoted to this cause.

Of course, this open warfare against the powerful has had its costs: her most recent television series Raiot was censored by the very public television company (Rai) which produced it.

Only the first of five scheduled instalments of Raiot was aired. Since then (November 2003), Sabina Guzzanti has also taken on a symbolic role outside the world of entertainment. She has become a point of reference in the fight to re-establish freedom of speech, a right to be defended at all costs in a country prey to the conflicting interests of politics and economics. Transferred to the stage, as a show born from the ashes of the television broadcast, Reperto Raiot became one of the most important stage events in Italy in recent years.

Continually adapted to keep up to date with current affairs, each performance of Reperto Raiot was greeted as a purifying and liberating event, a reclamation of reality and genuine public participation.

Central to Sabina Guzzanti’s work is her unique use of masks, accurately modelled on reality. Sabina takes to the stage as a clone of politicians of all persuasions (from the head of the right-wing government , Silvio Berlusconi, to one of the leaders of the opposition, Massimo D’Alema) or famous columnists, drawing out their inner vices and political and cultural shortcomings. Thanks to this theatrical and comedic effect, each show deals a blow to the lies of the State and becomes a supreme act of freedom.

Along with theatre and television works, throughout her career Sabina has written several screenplays, two collections of satirical songs and two books,  and has directed short and feature-length films. Her most recent films, Viva Zapatero and Le ragioni dell’aragosta (Sympathy for the Lobster), received standing ovations of fifteen and eight minutes respectively from the public of the Venice International Film Festival. They also gained an excellent critical reception from the Italian and International press, as well as prizes and recognition.

Sabina is currently working on a project on international satire.