Marcello is a simple man. He is good-hearted, with an eccentric looks reflecting his personality. He comes from Calabria, but lives in a squat in Rome, where he survives day by day. When he wins an audition, gaining the leading role in Matteo Garrone’s new film, he finds himself in a hectic, totally unknown world. It’s the beginning of a demanding journey towards a dilapidated but sublime Castel Volturno.

Sembravano Applausi (It sounded like an applause) it’s Marcello’s parable towards fame. A humble rise to success firmly linked in his origins that was immortalized by his triumph at the Cannes Film Festival, where he won an award for Best Male Actor, followed by a journey back to the metal shacks in which he grew up, as a tribute to his mother.

The true, honest story of a man that stayed himself in spite of the limelight.