To play down is the watchword. Now more than ever the need for lightness and humor proceeds in strides in everyday life and art puts itself at the service of this need, interprets it, transforms it into creativity, from TV to podcasts, to festivals. Having now established the triumphs of Checco Zalone’s films, which for years remained only a closed chapter in the sphere of entertainment, now we are witnessing a real mass appeal for a genre that intelligently manages to make people smile in an objectively non-existent period. simple for anyone, starting from the media and social case of ‘Lol – chi ride è fuori’, the Amazon Prime production which, thanks to a mix of popular names, spontaneity and gags, has recorded record numbers, becoming the most watched title ever of the streaming company and already announcing its second season (‘So Lillo’ has been the catchphrase of the web for days). Moving from streaming to generalist TV, one cannot fail to mention ‘Una pezza di Lundini’, the progenitor of the period in which the surrealism and irreverent irony of Valerio Lundini, also approached Rai to a younger audience in search of a new humor . Meanwhile, the one who has long been accustomed to laughter is Ezio Greggio who is currently working on the preparation of the 18th edition of the Montecarlo Film Festival de la Comédie (Monte Carlo from 31 May to 5 June) which this year sees Raoul Bova as president of the jury. And the world of podcasts also aims to make people laugh with ‘Essenza’, the first podcast dedicated to mental wellbeing created for Dopcast by Carmine del Grosso (available on digital streaming platforms), which has just started. ‘Desecrating with intelligence’ is the guideline of this podcast series which is inspired in an ironic and playful way by the very popular world of mindfulness and positive thinking. And a few days ago the irony also appeared in the very institutional Oscar ceremony thanks to Youn Yuh-Jung, awarded as ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for ‘Minari’ (broadcast on Sky Cinema Due from 5 May), which broke the ice in the room by addressing Brad Pitt (producer of the same film) in a highly unconventional way: “Mr. Brad Pitt, nice to finally meet you. Where was she while we were shooting the film? I am honored to meet you”.