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INDUSTRY / MARKET Italy

Italy’s regions and film commissions take action to tackle the crisis

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- We give an overview of the initiatives and measures taken by the various Italian film commissions and regions in order to combat the crisis

Italy’s regions and film commissions take action to tackle the crisis
(© Film Commission Regione Campania)

Shooting is suspended, film sets are closed, and auditions and location scouting activities are all postponed as a result of the nationwide lockdown. Italy’s film commissions and regions, however, are showing no sign of halting their attempts to contain the economic effects of either the suspension or the cancellation of production or business activities. The magazine Cinema & Video International is publishing a report (in association with the Italian film commissions) which explains the various initiatives introduced by the Italian regions and film commissions in a bid to tackle the crisis: extraordinary measures, support funds, facilitation of access to finance, extension of deadlines, thematic roundtable discussions and feedback from industry professionals.

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The magazine has also consulted with a number of film commission representatives. As director Maurizio Gemma reminds us, there are a great number of film shoots for productions supported by the Campania Region Film Commission which have been postponed. “Those who can, are working from home like us. Those who can’t, like actors and technicians, are no doubt going through a very worrying period, at the end of which we’ll need to find ways of making up for lost time and recuperating from the crisis”.

“We’re working in league with the Tuscany Region to devise a number of extraordinary measures which would help the sector recover”, explains Stefania Ippoliti, head of the Tuscany Film Commission, “focusing on our many, multifaceted areas of activity - from the work we do in film schools and our archiving activities to the support we lend exhibitors and our assistance with movie theatre management – in order to produce multiple actions for attracting, supporting and incentivising those working in the field of film and audiovisual production.

“We’re ensuring the continuity of all Fund related activities, in terms of financing films, documentaries, shorts and TV series, and we recently announced the first 7 projects which will benefit from economic support this year and which, we hope, will soon be filmed in the Alto Adige region”, assures Birgit Oberkofler, head of the IDM Film Fund & Commission - Alto Adige. “We’re also looking to the future in terms of our traditional annual programmes – such as the location tour “Places” and the Script Lab “Racconti” – and we’re working on editions which are due to unfold in our region in autumn. We’re trying to make the most of the time available to us now to improve certain aspects of these events and implement new ideas”.

The CEO of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission Federico Poillucci explains: “Our Fund requires that the films we support are released in cinemas in order for the second instalment of finance to be paid. We’re currently considering the idea of equating film releases on online platforms with cinema releases, at least while the latter are closed”.

“We’re working hard on the post Covid-19 period. We’re optimistic that we’ll come back stronger than ever”, enthuses the CEO of the Genova Liguria Film Commission Cristina Bolla, who was hard at work organising an event at the Cannes Film Festival, via the Italian Pavillion, before the nationwide emergency measures were introduced.

Giuseppe Citrigno, CEO of the Calabria Foundation Film Commission, assures us that as soon as the situation eases, “we will be in a position to welcome productions and to start again along our usual strategic lines, rebooting the sector with our calls, both the new one dedicated to production, and those linked to the implementation of the Cinema Law, concerning professional education, festivals and the cataloguing of films.”

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(Translated from Italian)

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