Benvenuti in casa Esposito lampoons the Camorra.

Poking fun at the Camorra - the notorious mafia group based in the Campania region around Naples - is the subject of a new movie directed by Gianluca Ansanelli.

Benvenuti in casa Esposito, which debuts in Campania cinemas on 23 September, is a comedy whose aim is to ridicule the scourge of organised crime in Naples.

At the centre of the story is Tonino, played by Giovanni Esposito, who fails to be taken seriously either within the Camorra or by his family, no matter how hard he tries.

After the death of his father Gennaro - a senior Camorra figure - it is decided that Don Pietro De Luca (played by Francesco Di Leva) should take the old boss's place instead of the hapless Tonino who is sidelined.

• Mafia: A history of Italy's most powerful mobs

Things take a further comic twist when the film's anti-hero Tonino learns that his daughter has fallen in love with the son of a judge who is investigating Don Pietro's illicit activities.

Tonino's family is divided by this love affair, between those who are against it and those who see it as an opportunity.

''The weapon of laughter is used to exorcise one of the most hateful evils of our time: the Camorra" - Ansanelli explained at the Naples preview of his film which he based on the book by Pino Imperatore.

• Why tourists skip Naples: debunking common misconceptions

"It's comedy and tragedy" - Ansanelli told news agency ANSA - "a risky combination that perhaps is the most faithful way to represent a complex city."

"Just like Tonino Esposito, in fact, Naples also has two faces: on the one hand there is its dark soul, made up of illegality, thuggery, ignorance, and on the other its beautiful side is made up of humanity, warmth, intelligence, generosity, happiness.''

• Seven things to do and see in Naples

Francesco Di Leva told ANSA: ''As Neapolitans we know these dramas well, there are also children in real life who reject criminal fathers. As an actor I enjoy ridiculing these characters.''

The film is also full of the colours, music and atmosphere of Naples, described as a "comic and tragic" city by actor and cast member Peppe Lanzetta.

Who are the Camorra?

The Camorra is the regional Campania mafia group, the oldest of its kind in Italy, concentrated in and around Napoli.

The group is involved in the production of counterfeit money, money laundering, drug trafficking, racketeering, illegal waste disposal and political corruption.