The Eternal City’s glitterati celebrated Sofia Coppola on Wednesday at an American Academy in Rome gala in the 17th century Villa Aurelia on Janiculum Hill.
The Oscar-winning director of “Lost in Translation,” “Marie Antoinette,” “Bling Ring” and, most recently, “Priscilla” was honored with a McKim Medal that “marks the profound relationship between Italy and the United States and recognizes the works of individuals who have contributed to the intense artistic and humanistic dialogue between the two nations,” as a statement put it.
Coppola’s ties to Rome comprise directing a 2016 production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Italian capital’s Teatro dell’Opera featuring costumes by Valentino and the fact that “Priscilla” — which got a seven-minute standing ovation at its 2023 Venice Film Festival premiere — is produced by Rome-based producer Lorenzo Mieli.
Mieli was in attendance along with a mix of prominent film, fashion, arts, academia and business...
The Oscar-winning director of “Lost in Translation,” “Marie Antoinette,” “Bling Ring” and, most recently, “Priscilla” was honored with a McKim Medal that “marks the profound relationship between Italy and the United States and recognizes the works of individuals who have contributed to the intense artistic and humanistic dialogue between the two nations,” as a statement put it.
Coppola’s ties to Rome comprise directing a 2016 production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Italian capital’s Teatro dell’Opera featuring costumes by Valentino and the fact that “Priscilla” — which got a seven-minute standing ovation at its 2023 Venice Film Festival premiere — is produced by Rome-based producer Lorenzo Mieli.
Mieli was in attendance along with a mix of prominent film, fashion, arts, academia and business...
- 6/6/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
While Luca Guadagnino is reigning supreme this summer with “Challengers” and Cannes-premiered “Queer” both opening, Film at Lincoln Center is celebrating all Italian auteurs for the 23rd edition of annual festival “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.”
This year’s festival takes place from May 30 through June 6 and includes North American, U.S., and New York premieres, with appearances and discussions by several of the filmmakers. Co-presented by Cinecittà, “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema” serves as a showcase of the best in new Italian cinema.
“I think we have an especially strong lineup at this year’s ‘Open Roads,’ which is nothing if not an encouraging sign of things to come as we continue to move forward from the production pauses and shutdowns wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Dan Sullivan, Flc Programmer, said. “A satisfying mix of the familiar and the new, of low- and higher-budget movies, of fresh takes on...
This year’s festival takes place from May 30 through June 6 and includes North American, U.S., and New York premieres, with appearances and discussions by several of the filmmakers. Co-presented by Cinecittà, “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema” serves as a showcase of the best in new Italian cinema.
“I think we have an especially strong lineup at this year’s ‘Open Roads,’ which is nothing if not an encouraging sign of things to come as we continue to move forward from the production pauses and shutdowns wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Dan Sullivan, Flc Programmer, said. “A satisfying mix of the familiar and the new, of low- and higher-budget movies, of fresh takes on...
- 5/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday launched a global outreach campaign called Academy100 intended to expand its scope and connection with a worldwide base.
Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer launched the Academy100 initiative, that entails a $500 million fundraising drive, at a Rome event hosted by the Eternal City’s storied Cinecittà Studios.
The fundraising drive has already raised $100 million from partners inlcuding Rolex, which has long supported the Academy.
“The future of the Academy is global, and Academy100 will deepen our worldwide reach and impact,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “The Academy will soon enter its second century, and we want to ensure that we continue to be the preeminent leader of our international film community,” he added.
“Like all healthy organizations, the Academy needs a sustainable and diverse base of support, and we are deeply grateful to Rolex and all of our...
Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer launched the Academy100 initiative, that entails a $500 million fundraising drive, at a Rome event hosted by the Eternal City’s storied Cinecittà Studios.
The fundraising drive has already raised $100 million from partners inlcuding Rolex, which has long supported the Academy.
“The future of the Academy is global, and Academy100 will deepen our worldwide reach and impact,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “The Academy will soon enter its second century, and we want to ensure that we continue to be the preeminent leader of our international film community,” he added.
“Like all healthy organizations, the Academy needs a sustainable and diverse base of support, and we are deeply grateful to Rolex and all of our...
- 5/10/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios, which have been undergoing a radical overhaul since 2021, recently released their fiscal 2023 results, which saw the Rome-based facilities turn a profit for the second year in a row after bleeding red ink for years.
The iconic studios are being managed by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec who last year lured big shoots such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins and Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” to the government-run “City of Cinema.” Last year, the studios were able to maintain a 70% occupancy level despite the impact of the Hollywood strikes and are on track to keep that level this year with several big Hollywood shoots coming soon, though NDAs are keeping details under wraps.
Below, Maccanico speaks to Variety about how he’s navigating Cinecittà’s revamp and what the prospects are going forward.
The iconic studios are being managed by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec who last year lured big shoots such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins and Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” to the government-run “City of Cinema.” Last year, the studios were able to maintain a 70% occupancy level despite the impact of the Hollywood strikes and are on track to keep that level this year with several big Hollywood shoots coming soon, though NDAs are keeping details under wraps.
Below, Maccanico speaks to Variety about how he’s navigating Cinecittà’s revamp and what the prospects are going forward.
- 4/3/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The great Martin Scorsese returned to the Eternal City, accompanied by the star of the moment, Lily Gladstone, as the guests of honor of a gala dinner at the Hotel Hassler by the Spanish steps Wednesday night. The event, honoring Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and hosted by co-chief of Leone Film Group, Raffaella Leone, daughter of great Italian film director Sergio Leone, and Paolo Del Brocco, head of Rai Cinema, the Italian distributor of Killers. Hot off the film’s 10 Oscar nominations, including a record-setting 10th best director nod for Scorsese and the historic best actress nod for Gladstone as the first Native American nominated in the category, the event was a must-attend for the Italian film scene.
The Hollywood Reporter Roma was the only media outlet admitted to the event, and we were a fly on the wall for the parade of A-list industry guests, which...
The Hollywood Reporter Roma was the only media outlet admitted to the event, and we were a fly on the wall for the parade of A-list industry guests, which...
- 2/1/2024
- by Manuela Santacatterina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, has been spearheading the radical overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios since April 2021, when the government-owned facilities embarked on a mission to secure a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
Three years later, the studios are equipped with 20 state-of-the-art soundstages, including one of Europe’s largest LED walls, and have become a magnet for Hollywood productions such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die.” As the production hiatus brought on by the Hollywood strikes eases up, more U.S. shoots are soon to come, he vows.
Below, Maccanico discusses with Variety what he’s accomplished in terms of reviving the studios and what remains to be done.
The first phase of the Cinecittà revamp plan seems to be complete. How tough has it been?
I was called to head Cinecittà...
Three years later, the studios are equipped with 20 state-of-the-art soundstages, including one of Europe’s largest LED walls, and have become a magnet for Hollywood productions such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die.” As the production hiatus brought on by the Hollywood strikes eases up, more U.S. shoots are soon to come, he vows.
Below, Maccanico discusses with Variety what he’s accomplished in terms of reviving the studios and what remains to be done.
The first phase of the Cinecittà revamp plan seems to be complete. How tough has it been?
I was called to head Cinecittà...
- 1/17/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italian cinema is in the spotlight at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles where the screening series “Ennio Morricone: Essential Scores from a Movie Maestro,” programmed in partnership with Cinecittà, is currently playing to sold-out audiences.
The Oct. 6-Nov. 25 event comprises 20 titles, including Sergio Leone’s “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” in a new restored print, “Once Upon a Time in the West” (pictured) and Don Siegel’s “Two Mules for Sister Sara,” plus a selection of other works hailing both from the master composer’s native Italy and the U.S.. Among these are Brian De Palma (“The Untouchables”), Terrence Malick (“Days of Heaven”) and Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” for which Morricone finally won the the Oscar for best original soundtrack in 2016.
“Hateful Eight” screened at the museum’s David Geffen Theatre in the 70mm “Roadshow” version with an intermission and an overture.
Cinecittà operates...
The Oct. 6-Nov. 25 event comprises 20 titles, including Sergio Leone’s “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” in a new restored print, “Once Upon a Time in the West” (pictured) and Don Siegel’s “Two Mules for Sister Sara,” plus a selection of other works hailing both from the master composer’s native Italy and the U.S.. Among these are Brian De Palma (“The Untouchables”), Terrence Malick (“Days of Heaven”) and Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” for which Morricone finally won the the Oscar for best original soundtrack in 2016.
“Hateful Eight” screened at the museum’s David Geffen Theatre in the 70mm “Roadshow” version with an intermission and an overture.
Cinecittà operates...
- 11/16/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The end of the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike isn’t just resuscitating the U.S. film and TV business, it’s also bringing back to life a raft of productions set in Europe. The dual writers and actors strikes, which spread over the second half of this year, took a heavy toll on the global film and TV industry and led to many series and films being delayed, postponed or recast. While European players, including financiers, producers, crew members, commissions and actors are rejoicing about the end of the historically long strike, many are also concerned about the probable bottleneck effect the backlog in production will have come next year, with many smaller indie projects fearing they will be squeezed out of the picture.
In Paris, where all shoots will be barred between June and September due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, many delayed productions will kick off in January.
In Paris, where all shoots will be barred between June and September due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, many delayed productions will kick off in January.
- 11/10/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy, Nick Vivarelli, K.J. Yossman, Leo Barraclough and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Fellini, Visconti, Loren, Heston, Hepburn, Peck, Taylor, Burton … a dream dinner party of talent graced the grounds of Rome’s renowned Cinecittà film studios during the so-called “Hollywood on the Tiber” period — named after the river that runs through the Italian capital.
From the epic Quo Vadis in 1951 right through to Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther in 1963, the city was burning with big film-production energy. Hollywood studios clamored to record runaway English-language projects there, lapping up the local subsidies, lower costs and unfrozen international funds; peaking with Cleopatra in 1963 — at that time the most expensive title ever made. And now, thanks to both enduring appeal and a similar dynamic that created the post-war boom time, the U.S. film world is starting to take very frequent Roman holidays once again.
“Italy, in recent years, is experiencing a new renaissance in the movie industry,” says Alessandra Rainaldi, trade commissioner of the Italian...
From the epic Quo Vadis in 1951 right through to Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther in 1963, the city was burning with big film-production energy. Hollywood studios clamored to record runaway English-language projects there, lapping up the local subsidies, lower costs and unfrozen international funds; peaking with Cleopatra in 1963 — at that time the most expensive title ever made. And now, thanks to both enduring appeal and a similar dynamic that created the post-war boom time, the U.S. film world is starting to take very frequent Roman holidays once again.
“Italy, in recent years, is experiencing a new renaissance in the movie industry,” says Alessandra Rainaldi, trade commissioner of the Italian...
- 11/1/2023
- by Becky Lucas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italy’s Roberto Stabile, head of special projects, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual-Ministry of Culture at Cinecittà, breezed through the San Sebastian Film Festival on Tuesday to tout Italy’s drive to amp up the distribution of Italian movies around the world.
In a brief presentation at the city’s Museo de San Telmo, he held forth about the plan to increase the presence of Italian audiovisual content not only in cinemas, but also on streaming platforms, online distribution and television, among others.
Backing Italy’s drive is its newish €1.2 million ($1.27 million) fund, established some years ago by the Italian Ministry of Culture with Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Agency, to boost theatrical distribution of Italian feature films around the world, and which will double to more than €2 million in order to also cover streaming and television.
The goal of the Italian film distribution fund is to push local...
In a brief presentation at the city’s Museo de San Telmo, he held forth about the plan to increase the presence of Italian audiovisual content not only in cinemas, but also on streaming platforms, online distribution and television, among others.
Backing Italy’s drive is its newish €1.2 million ($1.27 million) fund, established some years ago by the Italian Ministry of Culture with Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Agency, to boost theatrical distribution of Italian feature films around the world, and which will double to more than €2 million in order to also cover streaming and television.
The goal of the Italian film distribution fund is to push local...
- 9/28/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, has been spearheading the radical overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios since June 2021, when the government-owned facilities secured a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund to upgrade and expand the iconic facilities.
Under Maccanico’s watch, the studios – which now boast 20 state-of-the-art soundstages and one of Europe’s largest LED walls – have become a magnet for Hollywood productions, such as Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” and Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is still currently shooting.
But, of course, the SAG-AFTRA strike is starting to slow things down and could “become a big problem,” as Maccanico tells Variety below.
You were just at Venice where several films shot at Cinecittà launched, one being Saverio Costanzo’s “Finally Dawn.” How are the studios doing? Are you feeling the pain of the SAG-AFTRA strike?...
Under Maccanico’s watch, the studios – which now boast 20 state-of-the-art soundstages and one of Europe’s largest LED walls – have become a magnet for Hollywood productions, such as Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” and Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is still currently shooting.
But, of course, the SAG-AFTRA strike is starting to slow things down and could “become a big problem,” as Maccanico tells Variety below.
You were just at Venice where several films shot at Cinecittà launched, one being Saverio Costanzo’s “Finally Dawn.” How are the studios doing? Are you feeling the pain of the SAG-AFTRA strike?...
- 9/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
With no end to the dual strikes on the horizon — speaking at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday, SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said he saw no sign the major studios and streamers will willing to return to the negotiating table —the independent film industry is beginning to adjust to the possibility of that the actors and writers walkouts could potentially continue for months, perhaps well into next year. What that means for the business of making and selling indie films is the subject of most conversations overheard before screenings and over drinks among industry executives at TIFF.
A production slow-down is inevitable. It, in fact, is already underway as many shovel-ready productions weigh whether to apply for interim agreements from the unions which allow them to go ahead with shooting but bind them to the terms SAG demanded of AMPTP back on July 12, including things like using specific metrics to calculate streaming residuals,...
A production slow-down is inevitable. It, in fact, is already underway as many shovel-ready productions weigh whether to apply for interim agreements from the unions which allow them to go ahead with shooting but bind them to the terms SAG demanded of AMPTP back on July 12, including things like using specific metrics to calculate streaming residuals,...
- 9/10/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: It’s a scorching 90 degrees in Rome at the end of July, but producer Lorenzo Mieli isn’t breaking a sweat.
In the course of three days, he’s fully booked, first working into the night with Luca Guadagnino on the filmmaker’s new Daniel Craig movie, Queer, which wrapped shooting in June at Rome’s Cinecittà. Then Mieli’s presence is required in Naples the next day on the set of Paolo Sorrentino’s new untitled movie centering around the character, Parthenope. There’s talk of the production shooting on the water — which is always complicated for any movie. While there were ocean shots in Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated international film, Hand of God, what’s required here on Parthenope is a whole other level. Then Mieli will make a pitstop on the fourth and final season of the HBO series My Brilliant Friend in Caserta, outside Naples, which he executive produces.
In the course of three days, he’s fully booked, first working into the night with Luca Guadagnino on the filmmaker’s new Daniel Craig movie, Queer, which wrapped shooting in June at Rome’s Cinecittà. Then Mieli’s presence is required in Naples the next day on the set of Paolo Sorrentino’s new untitled movie centering around the character, Parthenope. There’s talk of the production shooting on the water — which is always complicated for any movie. While there were ocean shots in Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated international film, Hand of God, what’s required here on Parthenope is a whole other level. Then Mieli will make a pitstop on the fourth and final season of the HBO series My Brilliant Friend in Caserta, outside Naples, which he executive produces.
- 9/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Italian film and television industry could step into the gap left by the dual Hollywood strikes, leading industry executives said at a panel, organized in collaboration with the Audiovisivo Italiae, at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
“If supply decreases with Hollywood on strike, we need to be ready with our products for the international market as well,” said Francesco Rutelli, president of the Italian national audiovisual association Anica, speaking at a panel moderated by THR Roma editor-in-chief Concita De Gregorio.
“We need to interpret market changes in real-time. And we need the government to issue certain rules with respect to these changes. It’s not a matter of changing the system’s regulations, but of adjusting them quickly to the changed and rapid changes taking place.”
Maria Pia Ammirati director of Rai Fiction, a division of Italy’s national public broadcaster, noted that since the beginning of...
“If supply decreases with Hollywood on strike, we need to be ready with our products for the international market as well,” said Francesco Rutelli, president of the Italian national audiovisual association Anica, speaking at a panel moderated by THR Roma editor-in-chief Concita De Gregorio.
“We need to interpret market changes in real-time. And we need the government to issue certain rules with respect to these changes. It’s not a matter of changing the system’s regulations, but of adjusting them quickly to the changed and rapid changes taking place.”
Maria Pia Ammirati director of Rai Fiction, a division of Italy’s national public broadcaster, noted that since the beginning of...
- 9/3/2023
- by Ilaria Ravarino
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eleonora Andreatta, Netflix’s VP of Italian originals who oversees the streaming giant’s local output of series, movies, and non-scripted shows, will receive the Ittv International Award during the Venice Film Festival from the Los-Angeles based Italian Television Festival.
Affectionately known as Tinny, Eleonora Andreatta has long been a fundamental figure in Italian scripted content production. As head of drama at pubcaster Rai, she ushered in a new era by commissioning and carefully shepherding global hits such as the Elena Ferrante adaptation “My Brilliant Friend.” At Netflix, which she joined in mid-2020, Andreatta recently shepherded another well-received series based on Ferrante’s novel, “The Lying Life of Adults” directed by Edoardo De Angelis, who happens to also be the helmer of Venice’s opening film “Comandante.”
Netflix’s next high-profile show out of Italy is “The Leopard,” based on the classic Sicily-set novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which...
Affectionately known as Tinny, Eleonora Andreatta has long been a fundamental figure in Italian scripted content production. As head of drama at pubcaster Rai, she ushered in a new era by commissioning and carefully shepherding global hits such as the Elena Ferrante adaptation “My Brilliant Friend.” At Netflix, which she joined in mid-2020, Andreatta recently shepherded another well-received series based on Ferrante’s novel, “The Lying Life of Adults” directed by Edoardo De Angelis, who happens to also be the helmer of Venice’s opening film “Comandante.”
Netflix’s next high-profile show out of Italy is “The Leopard,” based on the classic Sicily-set novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which...
- 8/25/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rome’s Cinecittà Studios are in the midst of a radical overhaul that started in June 2021, when the government-owned facilities, headed by Nicola Maccanico — who is a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec — secured a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund to upgrade and expand the studios.
Productions that recently set up camp on its iconic backlot, lured in part by Italy’s generous 40% cash-back tax credit, include Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is currently shooting, and Luca Guadagnino’s recently wrapped William Burroughs adaptation “Queer” starring Daniel Craig. The Cinecittà revamp plan originally entailed an expansion through a deal to acquire a 76-acre plot of land adjacent to the studios on which eight additional sound stages were meant to be built. However, this deal has been halted in recent months after part of the land was...
Productions that recently set up camp on its iconic backlot, lured in part by Italy’s generous 40% cash-back tax credit, include Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is currently shooting, and Luca Guadagnino’s recently wrapped William Burroughs adaptation “Queer” starring Daniel Craig. The Cinecittà revamp plan originally entailed an expansion through a deal to acquire a 76-acre plot of land adjacent to the studios on which eight additional sound stages were meant to be built. However, this deal has been halted in recent months after part of the land was...
- 8/3/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“Good evening, Rome. Good evening, Romans. I am finally here, in the city where my heart beats faster.”
Enthusiastic applause erupted from the swelling crowd of fans on the steps of the Roman Theatre at the legendary Italian studio Cinecittà on Saturday as the Gladiator himself, New Zealand star Russell Crowe, stepped out to perform.
Crowe, who was recently named the official ambassador for Rome’s bid to host the 2030 world expo, gave a free concert, accompanied by his band the Indoor Garden Party, performing alongside The Gentlemen Barbers and Irish singer Lorraine O’Reilly.
Dressed all in black — like the rest of the band — Crowe immediately launched a few blues-flavored tunes, filling the stage as a singer with the same ease and charm he has as an actor on stage.
Watching him from the bleachers is Gabriele Muccino, Crowe’s close friend, who directed him in Fathers and Daughters, as...
Enthusiastic applause erupted from the swelling crowd of fans on the steps of the Roman Theatre at the legendary Italian studio Cinecittà on Saturday as the Gladiator himself, New Zealand star Russell Crowe, stepped out to perform.
Crowe, who was recently named the official ambassador for Rome’s bid to host the 2030 world expo, gave a free concert, accompanied by his band the Indoor Garden Party, performing alongside The Gentlemen Barbers and Irish singer Lorraine O’Reilly.
Dressed all in black — like the rest of the band — Crowe immediately launched a few blues-flavored tunes, filling the stage as a singer with the same ease and charm he has as an actor on stage.
Watching him from the bleachers is Gabriele Muccino, Crowe’s close friend, who directed him in Fathers and Daughters, as...
- 6/27/2023
- by Manuela Santacatterina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nicola Maccanico with Anne-Katrin Titze on current Cinecittà productions: “Joe Wright, Roland Emmerich and Luca Guadagnino.” Photo: Sally Fischer
I met with Nicola Maccanico to discuss the significant expansion of Cinecittà Studios under his leadership on the morning of the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at The Leopard at des Artistes, attended by The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi, Tommaso Ragno, Margherita Mazzucco (star of Susanna Nicchiarelli's Chiara and Saverio Costanzo’s My Brilliant Friend), directors Michele Vannucci (Delta), Niccolo Falsetti (Margins), Monica Dugo, and Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri)) director Giuseppe Fiorello with his stars Gabriele Pizzurro and Samuele Segreto.
Nicola Maccanico on Luca Guadagnino: “Bones and All! His last movie, I think is a masterpiece.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Nicola joined me for a conversation on the robust state of Italian cinema and the current international productions going on at Cinecittà,...
I met with Nicola Maccanico to discuss the significant expansion of Cinecittà Studios under his leadership on the morning of the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at The Leopard at des Artistes, attended by The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi, Tommaso Ragno, Margherita Mazzucco (star of Susanna Nicchiarelli's Chiara and Saverio Costanzo’s My Brilliant Friend), directors Michele Vannucci (Delta), Niccolo Falsetti (Margins), Monica Dugo, and Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri)) director Giuseppe Fiorello with his stars Gabriele Pizzurro and Samuele Segreto.
Nicola Maccanico on Luca Guadagnino: “Bones and All! His last movie, I think is a masterpiece.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Nicola joined me for a conversation on the robust state of Italian cinema and the current international productions going on at Cinecittà,...
- 6/24/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
As high-profile international productions continue to flock to Italy, its film commissions have joined forces, leaving producers’ old divide-and-conquer playbook in the dust.
“We believe that the success of one member is the success of all members,” says Cristina Priarone, president of the Italian Film Commissions Assn. The organization was created — alongside the Italy for Movies web site, with a searchable database — to help potential collaborators easily access information about available regional funds, and other advantages offered by different regions.
“This network has increased Italy’s talent to attract productions, welcome them at the highest level and easily move their sets from one region to another,” adds Toscana Film Commission’s Stefania Ippoliti.
In a country with a famously strong regional identity, such cooperation encourages foreign teams — already lured by Italy’s 40% tax rebates — to venture outside of their comfort zones when looking for locations.
As proven by the likes...
“We believe that the success of one member is the success of all members,” says Cristina Priarone, president of the Italian Film Commissions Assn. The organization was created — alongside the Italy for Movies web site, with a searchable database — to help potential collaborators easily access information about available regional funds, and other advantages offered by different regions.
“This network has increased Italy’s talent to attract productions, welcome them at the highest level and easily move their sets from one region to another,” adds Toscana Film Commission’s Stefania Ippoliti.
In a country with a famously strong regional identity, such cooperation encourages foreign teams — already lured by Italy’s 40% tax rebates — to venture outside of their comfort zones when looking for locations.
As proven by the likes...
- 5/15/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The Hollywood Reporter Roma, the entertainment media brand’s first European edition, was launched in a majestic mansion in Rome on Thursday night.
The starry party at Palazzo Brancaccio attracted 1,000 buzzy Italian well-wishers that included Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico; local Netflix content exec Tinny Andreatta; Piera Detassis, president of the Italian Academy of Cinema; Alessandro Michele, who recently exited his role as creative director of Gucci; and Italian actress Ornella Muti.
The gilded indoor-outdoor setting in Rome had the feel of a scene out of Federico Fellini’s Italian classic La Dolce Vita. Also walking the red carpet were Suburra star Alessandro Borghi, The White Lotus actress Beatrice Grannò and Isabella Ferrari of The Great Beauty.
Inside, Nekesa Mumbi Moody, The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director, and Elisabeth Rabishaw, co-publisher and executive vice president of THR, congratulated THR Roma on its debut.
“This is only the beginning,” said Moody, who...
The starry party at Palazzo Brancaccio attracted 1,000 buzzy Italian well-wishers that included Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico; local Netflix content exec Tinny Andreatta; Piera Detassis, president of the Italian Academy of Cinema; Alessandro Michele, who recently exited his role as creative director of Gucci; and Italian actress Ornella Muti.
The gilded indoor-outdoor setting in Rome had the feel of a scene out of Federico Fellini’s Italian classic La Dolce Vita. Also walking the red carpet were Suburra star Alessandro Borghi, The White Lotus actress Beatrice Grannò and Isabella Ferrari of The Great Beauty.
Inside, Nekesa Mumbi Moody, The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director, and Elisabeth Rabishaw, co-publisher and executive vice president of THR, congratulated THR Roma on its debut.
“This is only the beginning,” said Moody, who...
- 4/21/2023
- by Gianmaria Tammaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rome’s Cinecittà Studios are generating a profit for the first time in years amid a radical upgrade, overhaul, and expansion of the filming facilities where Hollywood productions are now flocking on a scale comparable with its glory days.
Roland Emmerich last month started shooting his gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian; Joe Wright is in the midst of production on TV series “M,” about Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. And in January cameras started rolling in the “City of Cinema” on Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron.” These are among the biggest international productions lured by the storied studios in recent years, also thanks to Italy’s 40% cash back tax rebate.
The Cinecittà revamp is being devised by CEO Nicola Maccanico who since 2021 has been implementing a plan fueled by a €300 million loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund...
Roland Emmerich last month started shooting his gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian; Joe Wright is in the midst of production on TV series “M,” about Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. And in January cameras started rolling in the “City of Cinema” on Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron.” These are among the biggest international productions lured by the storied studios in recent years, also thanks to Italy’s 40% cash back tax rebate.
The Cinecittà revamp is being devised by CEO Nicola Maccanico who since 2021 has been implementing a plan fueled by a €300 million loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund...
- 4/4/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Visitors to the Rome Film Festival and Mia Market last month couldn’t have avoided them. They were everywhere in the eternal city: bright red billboards celebrating Cinecittà, the city’s legendary film studio. They weren’t promoting any new film or TV series shooting at the fame backlot. Instead the ads were part of a campaign, call it Cinecittà reboot, intended to return the Italian studio to its place atop the world stage.
Things have been quiet for a while around Cinecittà. Now the studio that write the history of international cinema with such productions as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Once Upon a Time In America and Gangs of New York, is looking to take back its place atop the world’s stage.
The new push comes amid a shakeup in the Italian film and TV industry, a market revolution in which Cinecittà intends to be a driving force.
Visitors to the Rome Film Festival and Mia Market last month couldn’t have avoided them. They were everywhere in the eternal city: bright red billboards celebrating Cinecittà, the city’s legendary film studio. They weren’t promoting any new film or TV series shooting at the fame backlot. Instead the ads were part of a campaign, call it Cinecittà reboot, intended to return the Italian studio to its place atop the world stage.
Things have been quiet for a while around Cinecittà. Now the studio that write the history of international cinema with such productions as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Once Upon a Time In America and Gangs of New York, is looking to take back its place atop the world’s stage.
The new push comes amid a shakeup in the Italian film and TV industry, a market revolution in which Cinecittà intends to be a driving force.
- 11/1/2022
- by Gianmaria Tammaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood no longer holds the same allure for top Italian film and TV talent as a result of Italy’s recent renaissance as a production hub, Fremantle exec Andrea Scrosati told a panel at Rome’s Mia market on Tuesday.
“10 years ago, when Italian talents achieved big success with a film or series, they would get that famous call from Hollywood,” said Fremantle group COO and continental Europe CEO Scrosati.
“Whoever was called by Hollywood, would go to Hollywood, and this was seen as a sign of having arrived,” he continued. “There was a sense that Italian industry was good at forming talents but that at a certain point they would leave.”
The country’s tax credit for film and TV production, first introduced in 2008 and raised from 30 to 40 in 2020; investment in local infrastructure, topped by the overhaul of Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studios, as well as the resulting...
“10 years ago, when Italian talents achieved big success with a film or series, they would get that famous call from Hollywood,” said Fremantle group COO and continental Europe CEO Scrosati.
“Whoever was called by Hollywood, would go to Hollywood, and this was seen as a sign of having arrived,” he continued. “There was a sense that Italian industry was good at forming talents but that at a certain point they would leave.”
The country’s tax credit for film and TV production, first introduced in 2008 and raised from 30 to 40 in 2020; investment in local infrastructure, topped by the overhaul of Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studios, as well as the resulting...
- 10/12/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Italy’s International Audiovisual Market Mia is expecting a return to full force this year ahead of its eighth edition in Rome from October 11 to 15.
Speaking at a preview press conference on Thursday, director Gaia Tridente said the meeting had registered a 12 rise in attendance this year with accreditations still open, although she did not give precise figures.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mia welcomed 2,500 attendees in 2019, while there were 2,000 registered attendees in 2021 when travel was still restricted.
This year marks the inaugural edition for Tridente who was previously head of scripted at Mia.
Based around Rome’s historic Barberini Palace and the nearby newly refurbished Barberini Cinema, the event spans a traditional market, co-production meetings and a conference.
Expected guests include Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti, Netflix Emea TV boss Larry Tanz, Lionsgate TV Group president Sandra Stern and Fremantle COO and continental Europe CEO Andrea Scrosati as well as...
Speaking at a preview press conference on Thursday, director Gaia Tridente said the meeting had registered a 12 rise in attendance this year with accreditations still open, although she did not give precise figures.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mia welcomed 2,500 attendees in 2019, while there were 2,000 registered attendees in 2021 when travel was still restricted.
This year marks the inaugural edition for Tridente who was previously head of scripted at Mia.
Based around Rome’s historic Barberini Palace and the nearby newly refurbished Barberini Cinema, the event spans a traditional market, co-production meetings and a conference.
Expected guests include Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti, Netflix Emea TV boss Larry Tanz, Lionsgate TV Group president Sandra Stern and Fremantle COO and continental Europe CEO Andrea Scrosati as well as...
- 10/6/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Italy on Monday took a sharp turn towards the right as Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots, emerged as big winners in the country’s national elections.
Final results on Monday showed Meloni and her party winning roughly 26 of the vote and the center-right coalition she leads scoring 44 of parliamentary preferences. Within that coalition Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League won nearly 9 and former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia took 8. A much smaller member of the coalition, called the Moderates, took less than 1.
Meloni’s closest challenger, with some 19.3 of the vote, is the center-left Democratic Party headed by Enrico Letta, who has announced his resignation. Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — which had won the vote in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections — saw its support halved to some 15 this time around.
Meloni, who is 45, is now poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister,...
Final results on Monday showed Meloni and her party winning roughly 26 of the vote and the center-right coalition she leads scoring 44 of parliamentary preferences. Within that coalition Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League won nearly 9 and former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia took 8. A much smaller member of the coalition, called the Moderates, took less than 1.
Meloni’s closest challenger, with some 19.3 of the vote, is the center-left Democratic Party headed by Enrico Letta, who has announced his resignation. Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — which had won the vote in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections — saw its support halved to some 15 this time around.
Meloni, who is 45, is now poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The ongoing overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios is getting traction thanks to booming demand from international productions just as the number of sound stages increase, prompting realistic prospects of turning a profit by end of 2022, which is a year earlier than planned.
Cinecittà has been undergoing a radical revamp devised by CEO Nicola Maccanico since June 2021, when European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi (pictured above at Cinecittà) jointly visited the iconic studio lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5 — known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home — to announce a €300 million (300 million) investment to meet the growing international demand for studio space,
Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, said Cinecittà is now operating at full capacity and booked up through mid 2023. This is largely due having lured international productions such as Vatican thriller “Conclave,...
Cinecittà has been undergoing a radical revamp devised by CEO Nicola Maccanico since June 2021, when European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi (pictured above at Cinecittà) jointly visited the iconic studio lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5 — known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home — to announce a €300 million (300 million) investment to meet the growing international demand for studio space,
Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, said Cinecittà is now operating at full capacity and booked up through mid 2023. This is largely due having lured international productions such as Vatican thriller “Conclave,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rome’s Cinecittà studios are hitting unprecedented levels of occupancy, as the historic site continues to upgrade and expand its facilities under a five-year industrial plan, Cinecitta SpA CEO Nicola Maccanico said on Wednesday.
“Cinecittà has never been so full,” he told a presentation at the Venice Film Festival, looking at the early results of the industrial plan, which runs until 2026 and will see €260m worth of investment put into the facility.
Maccanico said Cinecittà’s 18 studios were currently fully-booked and that this trend would continue into the first half of 2023. He added that 70 of the productions booked in for 2023 were international in nature, and increasingly larger and more ambitious in scale.
He cited a dozen productions that had recently shot or were gearing up to shoot at the studios including Nanni Moretti’s Il Sol Dell Avvenire; Bill Holderman’s Book Club 2, starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen,...
“Cinecittà has never been so full,” he told a presentation at the Venice Film Festival, looking at the early results of the industrial plan, which runs until 2026 and will see €260m worth of investment put into the facility.
Maccanico said Cinecittà’s 18 studios were currently fully-booked and that this trend would continue into the first half of 2023. He added that 70 of the productions booked in for 2023 were international in nature, and increasingly larger and more ambitious in scale.
He cited a dozen productions that had recently shot or were gearing up to shoot at the studios including Nanni Moretti’s Il Sol Dell Avvenire; Bill Holderman’s Book Club 2, starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A few weeks ago, in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera spoke about a possible crisis looming for the Italian movie industry if it continues to value quantity over quality.
“The [Italian] movies we selected [this year] are great, in some cases excellent. However, it doesn’t seem to me that there has been an investment in quality overall,” Barbera said. “The quantity of this year’s productions [is] exorbitant compared to our market and the capacity of platforms to incorporate them.”
Producing 250 feature films a year, as Italy did in 2021, is a level of production “that belongs back in the 1960s,” Barbera said. The industry ”must prioritize quality” over quantity.
But if, arguably, too many Italian movies are being made, it is clear that too few people are coming out to watch them. Box office in Italy has not...
A few weeks ago, in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera spoke about a possible crisis looming for the Italian movie industry if it continues to value quantity over quality.
“The [Italian] movies we selected [this year] are great, in some cases excellent. However, it doesn’t seem to me that there has been an investment in quality overall,” Barbera said. “The quantity of this year’s productions [is] exorbitant compared to our market and the capacity of platforms to incorporate them.”
Producing 250 feature films a year, as Italy did in 2021, is a level of production “that belongs back in the 1960s,” Barbera said. The industry ”must prioritize quality” over quantity.
But if, arguably, too many Italian movies are being made, it is clear that too few people are coming out to watch them. Box office in Italy has not...
- 9/2/2022
- by Gianmaria Tammaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s an air of positivity among Italian film professionals as they head to the Venice Film Festival this year, in spite of the country’s depressed theatrical box office in the wake of Covid and a looming cost of living crisis across Europe.
The optimistic mood is driven in large part by recent state-backed support for the country’s audiovisual sector, which is increasingly regarded as a pole for future economic growth and employment
Under the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery plan, put in place by the former unity government of Mario Draghi, 300m has been set aside for investment in the sector for the period running 2021 to 2026.
Following the fall of Draghi’s government over the summer, a general election will take place on September 25. Whatever the outcome, the potential successors are being urged to maintain the recovery plan and cinema spending is not expected to be impacted.
The optimistic mood is driven in large part by recent state-backed support for the country’s audiovisual sector, which is increasingly regarded as a pole for future economic growth and employment
Under the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery plan, put in place by the former unity government of Mario Draghi, 300m has been set aside for investment in the sector for the period running 2021 to 2026.
Following the fall of Draghi’s government over the summer, a general election will take place on September 25. Whatever the outcome, the potential successors are being urged to maintain the recovery plan and cinema spending is not expected to be impacted.
- 8/31/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Kramer discussed the Oscars’ international expansion and the importance of Venice.
The theatrical requirement for films to qualify for the Oscars “will not go away”, according to new Academy CEO Bill Kramer.
Speaking on a panel about ‘The values of cinema in global society’, Kramer said, “The theatrical eligibility requirement will not go away, I believe – the theatrical experience is very important to us.”
However, Kramer was equally effusive about streaming, saying that “Netflix is making incredible movies” and that the Academy has “great respect for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings [co-chief executives] and Scott [Stuber, head of global film, all at Netflix].”
“Theatrical and streaming will continue to coexist – that’s a good thing,...
The theatrical requirement for films to qualify for the Oscars “will not go away”, according to new Academy CEO Bill Kramer.
Speaking on a panel about ‘The values of cinema in global society’, Kramer said, “The theatrical eligibility requirement will not go away, I believe – the theatrical experience is very important to us.”
However, Kramer was equally effusive about streaming, saying that “Netflix is making incredible movies” and that the Academy has “great respect for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings [co-chief executives] and Scott [Stuber, head of global film, all at Netflix].”
“Theatrical and streaming will continue to coexist – that’s a good thing,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Bill Kramer, the newly-minted CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, kicked off what will be a world tour of the 2022 fall film festivals in Venice on Tuesday, as the Academy tries to cater to its increasingly international membership.
Kramer took part in a panel on “the values of cinema in global society” together with Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera and Nicola Maccanico, CEO of Italian studio giant Cinecittà on the eve of the Venice festival’s 90th anniversary.
Kramer’s tour, which from Venice will take him to Telluride, Toronto and London, is also a show of Oscar support for the film festival circuit, which were hard hit by the Covid pandemic. “I think there were many of us that thought: will festivals ever be in-person festivals again?” Kramer noted, “[but] I think we’ve come out the...
Bill Kramer, the newly-minted CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, kicked off what will be a world tour of the 2022 fall film festivals in Venice on Tuesday, as the Academy tries to cater to its increasingly international membership.
Kramer took part in a panel on “the values of cinema in global society” together with Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera and Nicola Maccanico, CEO of Italian studio giant Cinecittà on the eve of the Venice festival’s 90th anniversary.
Kramer’s tour, which from Venice will take him to Telluride, Toronto and London, is also a show of Oscar support for the film festival circuit, which were hard hit by the Covid pandemic. “I think there were many of us that thought: will festivals ever be in-person festivals again?” Kramer noted, “[but] I think we’ve come out the...
- 8/30/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A fire that broke out Monday at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios has not significantly slowed down activity at the storied filming facilities, according to studio chief Nicola Maccanico.
“The fire did not cause any harm to people; it was quickly extinguished and damage was limited,” Maccanico said in a statement for Variety. “The safety system, in a very vulnerable time period given the high temperatures, kicked in promptly and allowed the flames to be limited without damaging any of our sound stages, nor any of our other production areas.”
The Cinecittà CEO went on to thank the Rome Fire Brigade and Civil Protection agency for their “crucial contribution” in ensuring that the flames were rapidly put out and did not spread further.
“Cinecittà and the City of Rome have proven that they know how to react promptly within a complicated context,” Maccanico said in the statement. “And this further confirms...
“The fire did not cause any harm to people; it was quickly extinguished and damage was limited,” Maccanico said in a statement for Variety. “The safety system, in a very vulnerable time period given the high temperatures, kicked in promptly and allowed the flames to be limited without damaging any of our sound stages, nor any of our other production areas.”
The Cinecittà CEO went on to thank the Rome Fire Brigade and Civil Protection agency for their “crucial contribution” in ensuring that the flames were rapidly put out and did not spread further.
“Cinecittà and the City of Rome have proven that they know how to react promptly within a complicated context,” Maccanico said in the statement. “And this further confirms...
- 8/2/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
New head eager to grow Academy’s global profile
New Academy CEO Bill Kramer and senior leadership will attend Venice International Film Festival and participate in events, marking the first time the body has officially attended the festival.
Screen understands Kramer, who started in his role last week, is eager to engage in international activities and raise the Academy’s global profile. To this end he will be in Italy for the opening night gala and meet members, industry and press.
The executive, who most recently spearheaded the Academy Museum launch and has worked in arts fundraising for much of his career,...
New Academy CEO Bill Kramer and senior leadership will attend Venice International Film Festival and participate in events, marking the first time the body has officially attended the festival.
Screen understands Kramer, who started in his role last week, is eager to engage in international activities and raise the Academy’s global profile. To this end he will be in Italy for the opening night gala and meet members, industry and press.
The executive, who most recently spearheaded the Academy Museum launch and has worked in arts fundraising for much of his career,...
- 7/21/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Newly named Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer is set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival, along with other Academy senior leaders, in what is being touted as the first time an official AMPAS delegation will make the trek to the Lido.
Kramer will attend the fest’s opening night on Aug. 30 and subsequently meet with international AMPAS members, industry professionals and press. The AMPAS delegation will also participate in a panel organized by Rome’s Cinecittà on the Lido and host an exclusive event in partnership with Mastercard.
The Academy’s presence in Venice reflects the fest’s growing power as an awards launching pad and also the increasing number of non-American AMPAS voters. Seven titles that premiered during Venice’s past nine editions went on to earn Oscars for their directors.
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an international organization...
Kramer will attend the fest’s opening night on Aug. 30 and subsequently meet with international AMPAS members, industry professionals and press. The AMPAS delegation will also participate in a panel organized by Rome’s Cinecittà on the Lido and host an exclusive event in partnership with Mastercard.
The Academy’s presence in Venice reflects the fest’s growing power as an awards launching pad and also the increasing number of non-American AMPAS voters. Seven titles that premiered during Venice’s past nine editions went on to earn Oscars for their directors.
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an international organization...
- 7/21/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A slew of top-notch directors, producers and stars is set to make the trek to the fifth edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, which combines film and TV and is stepping up efforts to serve as a collective celebration of the Italian and global industry’s restart spirit.
Since Italy’s box office returns are sputtering due to audience aversion to wearing a mask in theaters, Tiziana Rocca, chief of this unique event, is adding an open-air venue with a giant screen at its main hub, the Forte Village resort near Cagliari, capital of the emerald island of Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian).
“Seeing movies in the open air is a different thrill, especially for younger audiences that have been rebelling against mandatory masks in movie theaters,” Rocca says.
Accordingly, the June 9-12 fest will open with the Italian premiere of Universal’s crowd-pleaser “Jurassic World Dominion” in its new outdoor Piazza Forte Cinema.
Since Italy’s box office returns are sputtering due to audience aversion to wearing a mask in theaters, Tiziana Rocca, chief of this unique event, is adding an open-air venue with a giant screen at its main hub, the Forte Village resort near Cagliari, capital of the emerald island of Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian).
“Seeing movies in the open air is a different thrill, especially for younger audiences that have been rebelling against mandatory masks in movie theaters,” Rocca says.
Accordingly, the June 9-12 fest will open with the Italian premiere of Universal’s crowd-pleaser “Jurassic World Dominion” in its new outdoor Piazza Forte Cinema.
- 6/8/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
CEO Nicola Maccanico aims to turn facility into continental Europe’s top filming hub.
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios is running at full occupancy levels and is on track to post a 2023 profit after breaking even this year, according to CEO Nicola Maccanico.
Speaking exclusively to Screen, Maccanico said Italy’s largest production hub is starting to reap the benefits of a €260m (279m) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The former Sky Italia and Warner Bros. senior exec joined Cinecittà in 2021 with a brief from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to use the EU funding to...
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios is running at full occupancy levels and is on track to post a 2023 profit after breaking even this year, according to CEO Nicola Maccanico.
Speaking exclusively to Screen, Maccanico said Italy’s largest production hub is starting to reap the benefits of a €260m (279m) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The former Sky Italia and Warner Bros. senior exec joined Cinecittà in 2021 with a brief from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to use the EU funding to...
- 5/31/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
CEO Nicola Maccanico aims to turn facility into continental Europe’s top filming hub.
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios is running at full occupancy levels and is on track to post a 2023 profit after breaking even this year, according to CEO Nicola Maccanico.
Speaking exclusively to Screen, Maccanico said Italy’s largest production hub is starting to reap the benefits of a €300m (320m) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The former Sky Italia and Warner Bros. senior exec joined Cinecittà in 2021 with a brief from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to use the EU funding to...
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios is running at full occupancy levels and is on track to post a 2023 profit after breaking even this year, according to CEO Nicola Maccanico.
Speaking exclusively to Screen, Maccanico said Italy’s largest production hub is starting to reap the benefits of a €300m (320m) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The former Sky Italia and Warner Bros. senior exec joined Cinecittà in 2021 with a brief from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to use the EU funding to...
- 5/31/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
Since Cinecittà Studios was founded in 1937, the sprawling facilities have driven the golden age of Cinema Italiano.
The famed city of cinema has also, albeit intermittently, been a magnet for international productions and endured wild fluctuations in the country’s political climate, before recently reemerging as a new frontier for the country’s film and TV industry.
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, a short ride from the center of Rome and its airports, Italy’s top production hub has to date, hosted more than 3,000 films that have earned 53 Oscars.
During the period following World War II, the studios forged close ties to Hollywood, which helped the Italian industry gain its international standing.
The myriad Italian pics made at the studios range from Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960) and “8½” (1963) to Nanni Moretti’s “Sogni D’Oro” (1981), Sergio Leone’s epic “Once Upon a Time in America...
The famed city of cinema has also, albeit intermittently, been a magnet for international productions and endured wild fluctuations in the country’s political climate, before recently reemerging as a new frontier for the country’s film and TV industry.
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, a short ride from the center of Rome and its airports, Italy’s top production hub has to date, hosted more than 3,000 films that have earned 53 Oscars.
During the period following World War II, the studios forged close ties to Hollywood, which helped the Italian industry gain its international standing.
The myriad Italian pics made at the studios range from Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960) and “8½” (1963) to Nanni Moretti’s “Sogni D’Oro” (1981), Sergio Leone’s epic “Once Upon a Time in America...
- 5/12/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s iconic Cinecittà Studios turn 85 this year and it’s never looked so young.
The famed facilities, which in their Hollywood-on-the-Tiber heyday hosted sword-and-sandals epics such as William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” and were later home to Federico Fellini, are undergoing a major overhaul that now sees Europe’s largest LED wall situated on the lot near Fellini’s huge Studio 5.
Known as Cinecittà’s T18 Virtual Production Stage, the 412-square-meter semicircular screen made up of hundreds of high-def displays that serve as interactive backdrops for actors on a smart set, is one of more than a dozen state-of-the art soundstages being built there thanks to a multimillion-euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The revamp is being spearheaded by Nicola Maccanico, managing director of Italy’s Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the state film entity that operates Rome’s expanding Cinecittà Studios. He has ambitions for Cinecittà...
The famed facilities, which in their Hollywood-on-the-Tiber heyday hosted sword-and-sandals epics such as William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” and were later home to Federico Fellini, are undergoing a major overhaul that now sees Europe’s largest LED wall situated on the lot near Fellini’s huge Studio 5.
Known as Cinecittà’s T18 Virtual Production Stage, the 412-square-meter semicircular screen made up of hundreds of high-def displays that serve as interactive backdrops for actors on a smart set, is one of more than a dozen state-of-the art soundstages being built there thanks to a multimillion-euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The revamp is being spearheaded by Nicola Maccanico, managing director of Italy’s Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the state film entity that operates Rome’s expanding Cinecittà Studios. He has ambitions for Cinecittà...
- 5/12/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated autobiographical drama “The Hand of God” took top honors at Italy’s 67th David di Donatello Awards, winning best picture, director, supporting actress and tying for the best cinematography statuette.
Sorrentino’s Naples-set film about the personal tragedy and other vicissitudes that drove him to become a top notch film director had been the frontrunner along with young helmer Gabriele Mainetti’s second feature, the elegant effects-laden historical fantasy “Freaks Out.”
“Freaks Out” won six prizes, including for its producer, Andrea Occhipinti, as well as cinematographer, set design, and effects.
The cinematography prize, which was a tie, was split between “Hand of God” Dp Daria D’Antonio, marking the first time this David goes to a woman, and Michele Attanasio for “Freaks Out.”
The Davids were held as a fully in-person ceremony at Rome’s Cinecittà studios just as the famed facilities undergo a radical renewal being...
Sorrentino’s Naples-set film about the personal tragedy and other vicissitudes that drove him to become a top notch film director had been the frontrunner along with young helmer Gabriele Mainetti’s second feature, the elegant effects-laden historical fantasy “Freaks Out.”
“Freaks Out” won six prizes, including for its producer, Andrea Occhipinti, as well as cinematographer, set design, and effects.
The cinematography prize, which was a tie, was split between “Hand of God” Dp Daria D’Antonio, marking the first time this David goes to a woman, and Michele Attanasio for “Freaks Out.”
The Davids were held as a fully in-person ceremony at Rome’s Cinecittà studios just as the famed facilities undergo a radical renewal being...
- 5/3/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
As they celebrate being held as a physical event, Italy’s upcoming 67th David di Donatello Awards epitomize the ongoing shift in generations and genres that is underway in Cinema Italiano.
Leading the pack this year are seasoned auteur Paolo Sorrentino’s most personal film “The Hand of God” and young helmer Gabriele Mainetti’s second feature, the elegant effects-laden historical fantasy “Freaks Out,” which is set in 1943 Rome and involves four “freaks” working in a circus when the Eternal City is bombed by Allied Forces. Both pics scored 16 nominations each.
Close behind are Mario Martone’s classic biopic “The King of Laughter,” about popular early 20th-century Neapolitan actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta, with 14 noms. Then come Leonardo Di Costanzo’s subtle prison drama “Ariaferma” and “Diabolik,” an adaptation of a comic book about a charming master thief, directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti, both with 11 noms a piece.
“We...
Leading the pack this year are seasoned auteur Paolo Sorrentino’s most personal film “The Hand of God” and young helmer Gabriele Mainetti’s second feature, the elegant effects-laden historical fantasy “Freaks Out,” which is set in 1943 Rome and involves four “freaks” working in a circus when the Eternal City is bombed by Allied Forces. Both pics scored 16 nominations each.
Close behind are Mario Martone’s classic biopic “The King of Laughter,” about popular early 20th-century Neapolitan actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta, with 14 noms. Then come Leonardo Di Costanzo’s subtle prison drama “Ariaferma” and “Diabolik,” an adaptation of a comic book about a charming master thief, directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti, both with 11 noms a piece.
“We...
- 4/30/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico, who is a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, is implementing a major upgrade and expansion of the iconic Rome studios where he recently installed Europe’s largest LED Wall on the lot near the large Studio 5 that was once Federico Fellini’s second home. Maccanico, who has ambitions for Cinecittà to become continental Europe’s top studio facility, spoke to Variety from the lot about the symbolic significance of holding the David di Donatello Awards on the premises. Excerpts.
Why is it so important to have the Davids at Cinecittà?
They are being held here exactly a year after the studio’s renewal and new phase started. It’s also a time when Cinecittà is now celebrating being fully booked through most of 2023. So there are symbolic elements of various types: the Italian film community is back together in person at Cinecittà at a time when,...
Why is it so important to have the Davids at Cinecittà?
They are being held here exactly a year after the studio’s renewal and new phase started. It’s also a time when Cinecittà is now celebrating being fully booked through most of 2023. So there are symbolic elements of various types: the Italian film community is back together in person at Cinecittà at a time when,...
- 4/30/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
As Italy marks the centennial of Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s birth with a series of special events, the Academy Museum is honoring the influential film director, poet, writer and intellectual, whose 1975 murder remains a mystery, with a complete retrospective.
Titled “Carnal Knowledge: The Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” the Los Angeles tribute in the Academy’s Renzo Piano designed temple of cinema opened Feb. 17 with Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti on hand.
Ferretti, in a moving tribute, said he owed his career to Pasolini, having worked on nine of his films, starting with Pasolini’s first work “The Gospel According to Matthew” and ending with his incendiary condemnation of the Italian upper classes “Salò – or the 120 Days of Sodom,” released in Italy just a few weeks after Pasolini’s murder on Nov. 2, 1975, at age 53, in the seaside town of Ostia outside Rome.
The Academy’s complete retro of Pasolini’s...
Titled “Carnal Knowledge: The Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” the Los Angeles tribute in the Academy’s Renzo Piano designed temple of cinema opened Feb. 17 with Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti on hand.
Ferretti, in a moving tribute, said he owed his career to Pasolini, having worked on nine of his films, starting with Pasolini’s first work “The Gospel According to Matthew” and ending with his incendiary condemnation of the Italian upper classes “Salò – or the 120 Days of Sodom,” released in Italy just a few weeks after Pasolini’s murder on Nov. 2, 1975, at age 53, in the seaside town of Ostia outside Rome.
The Academy’s complete retro of Pasolini’s...
- 2/24/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle and Italy’s Cinecittà have entered a five-year pact involving the continuous rental of six sound stages at the iconic studios, which are currently undergoing a major revamp.
The deal “confirms Fremantle’s strategic decision to make some of its top international productions in Italy: a decision that finds the perfect and natural partner in Cinecittà,” Fremantle said in a statement.
A radical revamp of Cinecittà, which has been underway since May 2021, has been gaining traction with a rise in occupancy of its sound stages and backlot, realistic prospects for profitability, and new state-of-the-art filming facilities.
The Cinecittà revamp is being conceived and carried forth by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec who has a mandate from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to turn the Rome studios into continental Europe’s top filming facilities thanks to a €300 million ($339) million) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The deal “confirms Fremantle’s strategic decision to make some of its top international productions in Italy: a decision that finds the perfect and natural partner in Cinecittà,” Fremantle said in a statement.
A radical revamp of Cinecittà, which has been underway since May 2021, has been gaining traction with a rise in occupancy of its sound stages and backlot, realistic prospects for profitability, and new state-of-the-art filming facilities.
The Cinecittà revamp is being conceived and carried forth by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec who has a mandate from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to turn the Rome studios into continental Europe’s top filming facilities thanks to a €300 million ($339) million) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
- 2/17/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Cinecittà Studios has signed a preliminary agreement with state bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to acquire a plot of land adjacent to the Rome filming facilities. The land will give them space to roughly triple the backlot and build several new sound stages.
Under the deal Cinecittà, which is undergoing a radical revamp, will gain more than 70 acres of land that will allow for construction of eight additional sound stages on the new space and provide film and TV productions with more than 30 acres of additional open-air backlot to shoot on.
The vast expansion will allow Cinecittà to “fill a gap with its competitors in continental Europe,” according to a Cinecittà statement which called the long-gestating land expansion agreement key to giving Cinecittà “global attractive capacity.”
Financial terms of the Cinecittà-Cdp deal, which is expected to be finalized by October 2022, were not disclosed.
The Cinecittà Studios revamp...
Under the deal Cinecittà, which is undergoing a radical revamp, will gain more than 70 acres of land that will allow for construction of eight additional sound stages on the new space and provide film and TV productions with more than 30 acres of additional open-air backlot to shoot on.
The vast expansion will allow Cinecittà to “fill a gap with its competitors in continental Europe,” according to a Cinecittà statement which called the long-gestating land expansion agreement key to giving Cinecittà “global attractive capacity.”
Financial terms of the Cinecittà-Cdp deal, which is expected to be finalized by October 2022, were not disclosed.
The Cinecittà Studios revamp...
- 12/30/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The radical revamp of Italy’s Cinecittà Studios, which has been underway since May, is gaining traction with a rise in occupancy of its sound stages and backlot, realistic prospects for profitability, and new state-of-the-art filming facilities on the way, according to managing director Nicola Maccanico.
Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, came on board in April to run Cinecittà with a mandate from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to turn the iconic Rome studios into continental Europe’s top filming facilities thanks to a €300 million ($339) million) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund. He has since been busy overhauling several of the existing 19 sound stages and getting five new stages built, while also devising a five-year financial plan under which Maccanico expects Cinecittà to start turning a profit in 2023.
In roughly six months, the sprawling studios have reached almost 80% occupancy, having lured...
Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, came on board in April to run Cinecittà with a mandate from Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini to turn the iconic Rome studios into continental Europe’s top filming facilities thanks to a €300 million ($339) million) investment from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund. He has since been busy overhauling several of the existing 19 sound stages and getting five new stages built, while also devising a five-year financial plan under which Maccanico expects Cinecittà to start turning a profit in 2023.
In roughly six months, the sprawling studios have reached almost 80% occupancy, having lured...
- 12/16/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rome’s Mia film and TV market chief Lucia Milazzotto is stepping down to head up a newly created sales and marketing unit of Italy’s Cinecittà Studios which is undergoing a radical revamp and looking to become continental Europe’s top production hub.
The surprise announcement, made on Thursday by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico, comes just days after Mia wrapped its seventh edition on Sunday, having boosted its standing on the global calendar as a prominent emerging industry hub in Europe.
Who will replace Milazzotto at Mia’s helm is still unclear.
Milazzotto’s move from Mia, which she shepherded to success, to Cinecittà is in line with Italy’s comprehensive government-driven effort to drive the local film and TV production industry which is considered strategic for the country’s post-pandemic economy.
The iconic studios are set for a major overhaul involving many new state-of-the art soundstages, a...
The surprise announcement, made on Thursday by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico, comes just days after Mia wrapped its seventh edition on Sunday, having boosted its standing on the global calendar as a prominent emerging industry hub in Europe.
Who will replace Milazzotto at Mia’s helm is still unclear.
Milazzotto’s move from Mia, which she shepherded to success, to Cinecittà is in line with Italy’s comprehensive government-driven effort to drive the local film and TV production industry which is considered strategic for the country’s post-pandemic economy.
The iconic studios are set for a major overhaul involving many new state-of-the art soundstages, a...
- 10/21/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Istituto Luce-Cinecittà is joining Rai and Palomar on the documentary about famous Italian resistance song Bella Ciao, which recently featured in Netflix series Money Heist.
Bella Ciao – The History Beyond The Myth now combines three of Italy’s leading production players. The team has begun filming in Italy and is aiming to begin overseas production this fall.
Director Giulia Giapponesi will travel to countries where the Italian song has taken roots, including the U.S., Chile, France, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Spain, where the song has been given new impetus by Money Heist.
Bella Ciao is an Italian protest folk song that originated in the late 19th century, sung by the mondina workers in protest against the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance during the Second World War.
Creative Producer of Palomar...
Bella Ciao – The History Beyond The Myth now combines three of Italy’s leading production players. The team has begun filming in Italy and is aiming to begin overseas production this fall.
Director Giulia Giapponesi will travel to countries where the Italian song has taken roots, including the U.S., Chile, France, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Spain, where the song has been given new impetus by Money Heist.
Bella Ciao is an Italian protest folk song that originated in the late 19th century, sung by the mondina workers in protest against the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance during the Second World War.
Creative Producer of Palomar...
- 9/9/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Plans to overhaul Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios and potentially turn them into the top European filming facility were officially unveiled Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival with Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini and Stan McCoy, who is chief of the Motion Picture Assn. for Europe, on hand.
In June, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi jointly visited the Cinecittà lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5 — known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home — to announce a €300 million ($353 million) investment to “adequately meet the growing international demand” for studio space,” as Franceschini put it.
“The exciting thing about the €300 million investment that is being made in Cinecittà is they will have the opportunity now to be at the cutting edge of technology, which is absolutely critical in making the best international content,” McCoy said.
“My advice is: seize the opportunity.
In June, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi jointly visited the Cinecittà lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5 — known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home — to announce a €300 million ($353 million) investment to “adequately meet the growing international demand” for studio space,” as Franceschini put it.
“The exciting thing about the €300 million investment that is being made in Cinecittà is they will have the opportunity now to be at the cutting edge of technology, which is absolutely critical in making the best international content,” McCoy said.
“My advice is: seize the opportunity.
- 9/2/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s iconic Cinecittà Studios are set for a major overhaul involving many new state-of-the art soundstages, a bigger backlot and ambitions to become continental Europe’s top filming facilities thanks to a multi-million euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
In June, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi (pictured above) jointly visited the Cinecittà lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5, known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home, to announce a €300 million ($353 million) investment to “adequately meet the growing international demand” for studio space,” as Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini put it.
“We will build five new soundstages, two of which bigger than Teatro 5,” says Nicola Maccanico the former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia executive who in April was appointed chief of state entity Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, outlining his two-step plan under...
In June, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi (pictured above) jointly visited the Cinecittà lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5, known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home, to announce a €300 million ($353 million) investment to “adequately meet the growing international demand” for studio space,” as Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini put it.
“We will build five new soundstages, two of which bigger than Teatro 5,” says Nicola Maccanico the former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia executive who in April was appointed chief of state entity Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, outlining his two-step plan under...
- 7/9/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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