Outspoken comedian Beppe Grillo reminisces about his long career, including the triumphs and controversies that fueled his rise in Italian politics.

In many Western countries, trust between the people and conventional political parties is at a low point while populist movements are on the rise. In Italy, protest party Movimento 5 Stelle, founded by popular comedian Beppe Grillo, vows to send all politicians home and bring power to the people. They win a stunning 25% votes, becoming the most-voted single party in Italy, but what happens when ideals meet parliamentary reality? Can one be uncompromising and effective at the same time? Are internet referendums direct democracy or faceless mob rule?

Beppe Grillo's 1997 show

Α few years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, an unknown physicist from Eastern Germany, who was not interested in politics, is the most powerful woman in the world. Her teacher in the small town where she grew up remembers that she was the smartest student he ever had. Those who have worked with her claim that “Merkiavelli” exercises power without moral barriers, just as Machiavelli taught. A journalist, who knows her well, claims that she uses the methods of a Mafia godmother. In 2008, the German Chancellor was asked to handle the international financial crisis. The countries of the South were placed in the test tube. “If I had to write a book on the Shock Doctrine at this moment,” says Naomi Klein, “it would be on Greece.” How did Merkel manage to impose German hegemony in Europe?

Tsunami tour by Beppe Grillo

Italy is madness. Our employees in Parliament are in a madhouse. Among them they understand, but they do not know what reality is. They mixed up their private interests with party. The future are nuclear power plants, incinerators, parking lots, bridges on the close, the tunnel in the Susa Valley, DTT and the judiciary on a leash. They have delusions to "Veltrusconi". The call dialogue partners positions. We depend on foreign countries for energy and not exploit renewable. We depend on foreign countries for food goods and we destroy the wheat fields. We have one of the biggest public debts in the world and give five billion Euros to Libya. Egypt imports from Ukraine bread and we Chernobyl. Russia threatens nuclear retaliation for Georgia and the American nuclear bases with 90 nuclear warheads we have at Ghedi Torre and Aviano.

The V2-Day (short for Fuck-Day and resumed in the symbol V of V for Vendetta ) was a popular initiative on 25 April 2008 at the initiative of the comedian and political activist Beppe Grillo to collect the signatures required to hold three referendums . The referendum questions concerned the abolition of public financing to publishing of the ' Order of Journalists , and the Gasparri law . [1] The initiative, organized under the slogan Free information in a free state and held in 500 squares in Italy and 'abroad, she recalled in the name of V-Day , which was organized by the same Grillo in September 2007 for the collection of signatures needed to present a draft law of popular initiative .

On 14 June 2007 Beppe Grillo launched the idea of Vaffanculo Day (Fuck-off Day), or simply V-Day, a day of public mobilization for the collection of signatures required to submit a law of popular initiative that seeks to introduce preferences in the current electoral law and to prevent the nomination as Parliamentary candidates of recipients of criminal convictions or of those who have already completed two terms in office. The meeting was held in Bologna. The choice of the name of the event, V-Day, had a threefold reference: the first to the landing operation (D-Day) of the Allies in Normandy during World War II, to symbolize how Italian citizens would "invade" bad policy; the second to the motion picture "V for Vendetta" (whose symbol is also referred to in the logo of the movement) which the movement refers to often with its principles of political renewal; the third to the interjection "Fuck you" given to bad policy.

Live show recorded in Rome on Aprile 2005.

Beppe Grillo 2001 tour with the Show "LA GRANDE TRASFORMAZIONE" {The Great Transformation}

A pacifist pest controller tries to catch the rat infesting a nuclear power plant.

A young psychiatrist struggles to remove an erratic captain from command at an Italian base in the Lybian desert during World War II.

Beppe Grillo Brasile holiday

An average Joe becomes the poster boy for a book about Jesus due to his Christ-like appearance, but his meek and good-hearted nature ends up clashing with the publisher's earthly-minded motives.

Beppe Grillo holidays commented

The Sanremo Music Festival is the most popular Italian song contest and awards, held annually in the town of Sanremo, Imperia, Italy, and consisting of a competition amongst previously unreleased songs. The Festival was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest.