Nutopia for Netflix

Premieres: 29^th November

Editor: Franco Bogino

Director: Ben Steele

This documentary series explores the rise and then dramatic downfall of the ‘superstar surgeon’ Paolo Macchiarini. In 2011, Macchiarini was heralded for revolutionizing transplant medicine with his groundbreaking alternative to organ donation , plastic windpipes that seemed like miracles to desperate patients. However, beneath the surface, Macchiarini’s deceitful actions led to excruciating deaths for all but one of his patients, who eventually had their plastic windpipe removed. A Swedish appeals court convicted Macchiarini and sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in prison. He has denied any criminal wrongdoing.

Macchiarini was also a prolific liar in his personal life. Reporter Benita Alexander, his former fiancée, unveils the shocking depths of his deception, where he falsely claimed connections to renowned public figures such as the Pope, the Clintons, the Obamas, Putin, and Elton John! She later helped to expose his lies.

This series, featuring the families of Macchiarini’s victims, former colleagues turned whistleblowers, and unprecedented revelations, delves into the relentless battle to hold Macchiarini accountable.  

We caught up with Franco Bogino who edited Episode 1 and 2. He said  “It was a great project to work on because it was one of Netflix’s more premium commissions, and I got to cut two of the three episodes. It’s so much more satisfying to be able to work across multiple episodes because you can really get into shaping the evolving narrative. The story was good, and getting the narrative structure right was quite a challenge because we had to weave different timelines together. It was great to work with Ben ( Steele) again, we did a string of films together previously, and then our schedules didn’t coincide for a few years. It’s always satisfying to work with someone that you have a good creative relationship with”.

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife premieres on Netflix on 29^th November.