Melbourne’s furniture king Franco Cozzo to be immortalised in film

Megalo, megalo, megalo!

Furniture mogul and much-loved Melburnian Franco Cozzo is set to be immortalised in film.

A feature-length documentary about the iconic man has been given the green light with Screen Australia announcing it will help fund the film.

Writer and director Madeleine Martiniello has spent years working closely with Mr Cozzo, unearthing his untold story, and says it’s a story that’s close to her heart.

“I was born and raised in Melbourne and he’s always been part of my cultural consciousness,” she told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.

“My grandparents migrated from Italy after the war, at the same time as him, so for me it was sort of a natural story to tell.”

The furniture king is known for his on-screen persona, but Ms Martiniello says that’s who he is in real life, too.

“He’s pretty much the same,” she said.

The 90 minute documentary will feature old advertisements, footage and photos of Mr Cozzo’s upbringing, and, of course, Mr Cozzo himself.

“We’ve got some beautiful archive and old photos of Franco growing up in Italy. He came from a small town called Ramacca, and his father was a horse trainer,” Ms Martiniello said.

Shooting on the film begins early next year.

The film is expected to be complete in late 2020.

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