Portobello First Look Featuring Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora

HBO Max has shared a first look at Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello, starring Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora. The first two episodes will debut at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, and the series is set to premiere on HBO Max in 2026.

1982. Enzo Tortora is at the height of his success. He hosts Portobello, a show that reaches 28 million viewers in prime time, where contestants attempt to get the parrot, the show’s mascot, to speak.

Tortora is the king of 1980s television, and the president of Italy, Alessandro Pertini, even appointed Tortora Commander of the Republic. During this time, the Irpinia earthquake delivers the final blow to the already fragile balance of the New Organized Camorra criminal organization.

Giovanni Pandico, a trusted friend of crime boss Raffaele Cutolo and a regular viewer of Portobello, decides to repent. Interrogated by the judges, he names an unexpected person: Enzo Tortora.

When, on June 17, 1983, the Italian police knock on Tortora’s hotel room, he thinks it’s a mistake, but it is only the beginning of an odyssey that will drag him from the heights to the abyss.

The cast includes Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora, Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Carlotta Gamba, Alessandro Preziosi, Fausto Russo Alesi, and Salvatore D’Onofrio.

The Italian scripted original production was written by Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Giordana Mari, and Peppe Fiore. Filming began in Rome in September 2024.

The cinematography is by Francesco Di Giacomo, the set design is by Andrea Castorina, the costume designs are by Daria Calvelli, the editing is by Francesca Calvelli, and the music is by Teho Teardo.

The series is produced by OUR FILMS, a company of the Mediawan group, and KAVAC FILM, in co-production with ARTE France and in collaboration with The Apartment Pictures, a company of the Fremantle group.

Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani produce the series for Our Films, and Simone Gattoni for Kavac Film.