The road of four Para Athletes and their coach reaches Italian TV

An upcoming Italian eight-episode series will depict the life of four fictional Para athletes trying to reach the European Championships. ‘Fantastici 5’ (Fantastic 5) was presented on 7 September at the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival and its local airing will start on late 2023 or early 2024 at Italian Canale 5. 

The show features Christian, the team's captain and wheelchair sprinter; Marzia, a blind athlete; Elia, a young man with movement-related neurological difficulties, and Laura, a one-legged amputee. They are all led by their coach Ricardo Bramanti, who is performed by renowned Italian actor Raoul Bova.  

According to the Communication Office of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), they were always within close distance to the production “to ensure that the story, while maintaining the narrative character typical of a mainstream fiction series, remained as close as possible to the reality of the Paralympic world”. 

Besides the cast, Paralympic medallists Ambra Sabatini, Martina Caironi and Monica Contrafatto, popularly called "Charlie's Angels", were present during the Red Carpet of the Venice Film Festival. According to the Italian Paralympic Committee, the athletes did not participate in the filming of the series because the required commitment would have negatively impacted their athletic preparation, especially in anticipation of Paris 2024, but there are ongoing conversations to have them on screen for a second season.   

“However, many Paralympic athletes served as consultants throughout the filming, helping the actors to get into their roles and portray Paralympic athletes to the best of their abilities and to better understand training schedules, equipment management, and everything related to the Paralympic world”, said the CIP.   

“Furthermore, many Paralympic athletes were involved as extras, especially during the training sessions and hypothetical competitions. Throughout the filming process, there was ongoing collaboration with the CIP to ensure that the story, while maintaining the narrative of a mainstream fictional series, remained as close as possible to the reality of the Paralympic world”.  

Also, during the Venice Film Festival, a panel was organized to present the series, in which Sabatini, Caironi, Contrafatto and the Secretary General of the CPI, Juri Stara, participated, with the intention to furthermore discuss the growth of the Paralympic Movement.