Marco

Marco is a brilliant 33-year-old living in Rome. He is a successful swimmer, loves dressing well, is an active social media user, enjoys traveling, and appreciates Ibiza’s dance scene. And he has Down syndrome. He never thinks about it, never mentions it, and especially hates when people say, "He’s Down," because Down syndrome is not something you are, it is something you have.

“Like skin color or sexual orientation,” he says.

In Italy, the life expectancy for people with Down syndrome used to be just 12 years, with children placed in segregated schools that prepared them for a life of isolation. Today, life expectancy has risen to 62 years, and half of those with Down syndrome in Italy are adults, people who study, work, try to live independently, and even get married. People who fight daily against prejudice and abuse.

Marco and his friends, Viola, Federica, represent a new wave of dreamers with Down syndrome. We spent days with them, filming ourselves like the movie stars they feel they are, and we collected their dreams. Marco’s Plan A is to become a movie star. Plan B is to buy a cinema in his neighborhood, bring it back to life, and create jobs for his friends.