“Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa,” HBO Max‘s first Italian original docuseries, has set an April 3 release date in Italy and Spain. The three-episode doc chronicles the intense legal battle that erupted over the multi-million dollar fortune of the iconic Italian actress, who died in 2023 at the age of 95.
The series — which is made by “The Great Beauty” producer Indigo Film’s unscripted unit Indigo Stories — reconstructs complex legal wranglings involving Francisco Javier Rigau, who was 34 years Lollobrigida’s junior and her longtime partner; her son Milko and nephew Dimitri Skofic; and Andrea Piazzolla, the diva’s personal assistant and manager who has been tried and convicted of stealing her wealth. Piazzolla, however, maintains his innocence, and has appealed the case which is not fully resolved.
A global sex symbol during the 1950s and ’60s, Lollobrigida worked with Hollywood heavyweights such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Rock Hudson.
“Thanks to a meticulous analysis of court documents, exclusive testimonies, previously unheard audio, and the participation of Rigau, Skofic, Piazzolla and the actress’s nephew, Dimitri, the docuseries reveals previously unseen behind-the-scenes details and sheds light on the many dark aspects of the affair,” reads the series’ promotional materials.
These aspects include “the disappearance of nearly all of Lollobrigida’s assets,” estimated to have been worth between €10 million ($11.4 million) and €20 million ($22.8 million), with some funds possibly hidden in Panama; the appointment of a court-ordered administrator in 2019; and Piazzolla’s conviction in 2023 to three years in prison in the ongoing case’s first ruling, as well as a €500,000 ($572,000) compensation order for having allegedly exploited Lollobrigida’s fragility.
Following its April 3 bow Italy and Spain, “Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa” will drop on HBO Max in other still unspecified territories.
English (US) ·