Italy, 1924. Giacomo Matteotti, secretary of the Socialist Party, takes the floor in Parliament to demand the annulment of the April 6 elections, marred by fraud and violence that had secured the fascists a majority. On June 10, he is kidnapped by a group of squadristi and beaten to death. The news shocks public opinion and unites the opposition.

Mussolini orders the police — loyal to his party — to arrest some of the direct perpetrators of the crime, thereby shielding them from ordinary justice. While the King refuses to withdraw confidence from the Head of Government and the fascist leaders urge Mussolini to take a harder line, he gradually manages to overcome his political isolation. On January 3, 1925, in a speech to Parliament, he openly assumes all political, moral, and historical responsibility for Matteotti’s assassination and declares his intention to crush the opposition. This marks the true beginning of the fascist dictatorship.

Il delitto Matteotti has undergone a complete 4K restoration, curated by the Cineteca Nazionale – Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in collaboration with Minerva Pictures, and will be presented at the 20th Rome Film Festival (October 15–26, 2025) in the “History of Cinema” section.