Grazia, the magazine edited by Silvia Grilli, intensifies its relationship with the world of cinema.

Grazia and QMI Stardust, a leading entertainment mar­keting and communication agency organised a special screening on Tuesday 16 April for loyal readers and fans of the magazine at the Anteo Palazzo del Ci­nema in Milan of Il Cam­pione, the latest film starring Stefano Accorsi.

In addition to Silvia Grilli, the editor of Grazia, also present at the screening were the star of the film, its director Leonardo D’Agostini, the producer Matteo Rovere and the screenwriters Giulia Steigerwalt and Antonella Lattanzi.

Il Campione is the story of Christian Ferro (played by Andrea Carpenzano), a genial and unruly football superstar, an idol to fans across the world, but whose antics make him a  constant target of the media. How can he be put back on the straight and narrow? The chairman of his club has an idea: a weekly exam: If he doesn’t pass, he doesn’t play.  Right up until he passes his high school diploma.

The film, in cinemas from today, will be much discussed, given that it starts from a common prejudice that great football players are often both uneducated and undisciplined. But there is much more to this film: there is an encounter between two apparently opposing lifestyles. That of the football player Christian Ferro and his somewhat solitary and reserved teacher, Valerio Fioretti (played by Accorsi), who has to deal with a difficult past. At the beginning they are not able to communicate, then they develop a relationship based on mutual respect and affection, that enables both of them to grow.

At the beginning of the film the teacher is weary and demotivated, but the discovers that: “For the first time I’ve once again discovered that I like this job.” The goal-scorer, meanwhile, gradually learns to keep a check on his anger and understands that the biggest challenge he faces in life is not on the field, but with himself.

The film, a Groenlandia production with Rai Cinema in association with 3 Marys Enter­tainment, is produced by Matteo Rovere and Sydney Sibilia and distributed by 01Distribution.