This multi-award-winning, true-crime gangster movie from Marco Bellocchio tells the story of Tommaso Buscetta, the man who brought down the Cosa Nostra.
In Italy in the early 1980s an all-out war rages between Sicilian mafia bosses over the heroin trade. As scores are being settled back home, Buscetta (played to perfection by character actor Pierfrancesco Favino) watches from afar in his Brazilian hideout. After his sons and brother are killed in Palermo, Buscetta realises he may be next.
Arrested and extradited to Italy by the Brazilian police, Buscetta makes a decision that will change everything for the mafia: he decides to meet with Judge Giovanni Falcone (Fausto Russo Alesi) and betray the eternal vow he made to the Cosa Nostra.
Known for engaging with the social and political contradictions of Italian identity, legendary director Marco Bellocchio (Vincere, 2009) explores the tale of loyalty and betrayal behind Italy’s most notorious mafia informer. Infused with an unpredictable energy and great performances, The Traitor is a bold, handsomely shot festival highlight.
WINNER: Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, David di Donatello Awards 2020
WINNER: Best Director, Best Original Score, Golden Globes Italy 2019
NOMINATED: Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2019
NOMINATED: Best Foreign Film, César Awards 2020
WINNER: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Score, Nastri d’Argento Awards 2019
"There are some show-stopping scenes in Bellocchio’s handsome true-crime movie."
- The Guardian
Tuesday 29th September
145 min
MA15+
Pierfrancesco Favino, Fabrizio Ferracane, Luigi Lo Cascio, Maria Fernanda Cândido
Marco Bellocchio
Film Festival
Italian, Portuguese, English, Sicilian with English subtitles
Palace James Street, Palace Barracks, Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Electric, Palace Byron Bay, Palace Central Sydney, Palace Raine Square
