The late Silvio Berlusconi, a billionaire who once described himself as the “Jesus Christ of Politics,” and former four-time Italian Prime Minister, is the subject of ESPN film’s latest “30 for 30” installment, “Berlusconi: Winning.”
Not only does he find himself at the heart of numerous criminal investigations, including embezzlement, tax fraud and bribery, but it may seem strange to argue that the election he lost was actually stolen from him, which is the subject of a three-part sports docusary. However, it turns out that Berlusconi’s involvement in the sport created a path to his political power.
Berlusconi, who passed away in 2023, became the first to become a prominent business and media tycoon, owning AC Milan, one of Italy’s most renowned football clubs. When Berlusconi transformed his team into arguably the most successful club in the world, he harnessed their victory to burn his own popularity, eventually driving him to the country’s best political office.
“Berlusconi was said to be an emotional entrepreneur,” says director Sam Blair. “He used the irrational enthusiasm of sports emotions to create political movements.”
In the series, Blair (“Maradona ’86”) reveals that Berlusconi’s rise has raised awkward questions about how the sport can hide corruption.
“The story (of Berlusconi) is more than football or politics,” says Blair. “It’s a way to reconstruct the identity of a nation using ambition, power and sports. It’s a story about the seduction of victory, the price society pays when victory overshadows accountability.”
When Box -to Box Films first came to him with the idea of turning Berlusconi’s life into “30 For 30,” Blair was intrigued.
“It felt like the ultimate clash between sports and politics, and the story we were telling in the world we live in today,” says Blair. “Like a lot of people, I feel confused by the political upheavals of recent years. This was a story 25 years before we are now.”
Variety spoke to Blair about “Berlusconi: Criticizing the Wins,” which will premiere on the subscriber’s ESPN app and ESPN2 on September 16th.
When you were making the film, did you surprise you how similar Berlusconi looks to so many politicians today? If so, was it part of the reason you wanted to make this series?
Blair: The current echo felt amazing and was a big reason to make it. For many years, coming from the UK, Berlusconi was considered a crude laughing stock, but since Brexit we no longer have the kind of high-level view he has. So it felt like an opportunity to understand him and see where we were heading. The cult of personalities around Trump is clearly comparable. The question with Berlusconi was whether there was an ideology he believed in, because he often had fierce rights and a deeply troublesome alliance. But in the end, Berlusconi is the most important thing for Berlusconi, and what seems to drive him. With Trump, I don’t think we’ve seen yet how clear he is about his ideology beyond himself.
It’s so hard to create and distribute political documents right now, so perhaps they used football as a way to film about corrupt politicians?
I’m a “sports documentary” filmmaker, but Sports is a great Trojan when it comes to documentary storytelling. I’ve always been interested in the way films can bring audiences to places they don’t expect, and as a filmmaker, I can shift the lens in any direction I have chosen. But in this case, the captivating power of sports was at the heart of the cinema papers. We didn’t have to make it up – at the heart of the series is the incredible moment when Berlusconi began using sport’s rhetoric to cause still echoing political earthquakes.
What was the most challenging aspect of telling the story of Berlusconi?
Condensing the complexities and mixed chaos of Italian politics into something that could be digested by an outside audience was a major challenge. On the plus side, it includes endless drama and conflict, but requires a dedicated 10-part series to properly explain it.
Who was the hardest person to convince you to sit for an interview?
When Berlusconi was still alive, we began production. We reached out to his people and approached the interview, but his poor health got in the way and ultimately made it impossible. We were able to interview some important numbers from his inner circle, but many players were reluctant to talk to us. While the football star is not known to be interested in challenging politics, Zvonimirbovan, a great player with a degree in history, gave us an honest and insightful interview.
