After reaping the rewards of a protracted growth spurt, Italy’s film industry is facing a forced slowdown as the country’s right-wing government dithers with modifications they plan to make to several key regulations, most significantly to the country’s now stalled tax incentives for film and TV production.
At a packed protest event held earlier this month in Rome’s Cinema Adriano multiplex, industry figures from all sectors – including producers, writers, actors and big-name directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Marco Bellocchio – lashed out against having to wait endlessly for the government to approve new guidelines so production companies can apply for the 40% tax credits that basically drive the business. Some are also concerned that their projects might end up not complying with still murky new eligibility criteria.
“We are waiting for the new regulatory framework, and more importantly we need to know how much money the government will grant,...
At a packed protest event held earlier this month in Rome’s Cinema Adriano multiplex, industry figures from all sectors – including producers, writers, actors and big-name directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Marco Bellocchio – lashed out against having to wait endlessly for the government to approve new guidelines so production companies can apply for the 40% tax credits that basically drive the business. Some are also concerned that their projects might end up not complying with still murky new eligibility criteria.
“We are waiting for the new regulatory framework, and more importantly we need to know how much money the government will grant,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italian film and TV orgs will hold an emergency press conference in Rome next week to discuss the damage being done to their sectors by uncertainty over the future of direct funding and tax credits.
The meeting on April 5 in Rome’s Cinema Adriano will gather the members of 14 professional bodies including filmmakers’ org 100 Autori, producer groups Anica and Agici, Cartoon Italia and the actors’ association Unita.
“The first quarter of 2024 saw an abrupt halt in film and audiovisual production, due to uncertainty and the continued delay in the implementation of public support measures for the sector,” said the film and TV orgs in a statement announcing the conference.
Italy’s right-wing government has been making noises for months about its reform of the country’s Cinema Law, first mooted prior to its arrival in power in 2022.
The legislation covers direct film and TV funding, as well as the 40% tax...
The meeting on April 5 in Rome’s Cinema Adriano will gather the members of 14 professional bodies including filmmakers’ org 100 Autori, producer groups Anica and Agici, Cartoon Italia and the actors’ association Unita.
“The first quarter of 2024 saw an abrupt halt in film and audiovisual production, due to uncertainty and the continued delay in the implementation of public support measures for the sector,” said the film and TV orgs in a statement announcing the conference.
Italy’s right-wing government has been making noises for months about its reform of the country’s Cinema Law, first mooted prior to its arrival in power in 2022.
The legislation covers direct film and TV funding, as well as the 40% tax...
- 3/29/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
For Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi, 2024 kicked off on a decidedly sour note.
On New Year’s Eve the baton-wielding Venezi, a friend of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was heckled at the Opéra de Nice by French anti-fascist protesters as she took to the podium.
The incident reflected tensions rippling through European entertainment industry circles as far-right parties sweep to power in Italy and the Netherlands and gain ground across the EU.
Italy took a sharp turn to the right in 2022, when Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, emerged the winner in the national elections. Since then her right-wing camp, which denies accusations of nostalgia for fascism, has moved to hold more sway within state-controlled media and cultural institutions such as broadcaster Rai, the Centro Sperimentale film school and the Biennale, the Venice Film Festival’s parent organization.
Scrutiny is being directed at Venezi, an adviser to Meloni-appointed culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
On New Year’s Eve the baton-wielding Venezi, a friend of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was heckled at the Opéra de Nice by French anti-fascist protesters as she took to the podium.
The incident reflected tensions rippling through European entertainment industry circles as far-right parties sweep to power in Italy and the Netherlands and gain ground across the EU.
Italy took a sharp turn to the right in 2022, when Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, emerged the winner in the national elections. Since then her right-wing camp, which denies accusations of nostalgia for fascism, has moved to hold more sway within state-controlled media and cultural institutions such as broadcaster Rai, the Centro Sperimentale film school and the Biennale, the Venice Film Festival’s parent organization.
Scrutiny is being directed at Venezi, an adviser to Meloni-appointed culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
- 2/2/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Writer nominated by Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
Right-wing journalist and writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco has been nominated by Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to take over as chairman of the Venice Biennale Foundation which runs the Venice Film Festival.
He will replace Roberto Cicutto when the latter’s term ends in March. Buttafuoco’s nomination requires parliamentary approval but is regarded as a formality.
Italian newswire Ansa described Buttafuoco as “one of Italy’s top public intellectuals and a practising Muslim” and described him as a far-right activist in his youth like Italian premier Giorgia Meloni who, like her, has...
Right-wing journalist and writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco has been nominated by Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to take over as chairman of the Venice Biennale Foundation which runs the Venice Film Festival.
He will replace Roberto Cicutto when the latter’s term ends in March. Buttafuoco’s nomination requires parliamentary approval but is regarded as a formality.
Italian newswire Ansa described Buttafuoco as “one of Italy’s top public intellectuals and a practising Muslim” and described him as a far-right activist in his youth like Italian premier Giorgia Meloni who, like her, has...
- 10/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Venice Biennale Foundation, which oversees the Venice International Film Festival, has nominated right-wing writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to become its new President, according to multiple Italian media sources.
Buttafuoco is set to replace Roberto Cicutto after being appointed by Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano of Italy’s right-wing coalition government. He will take up the post when Cicutto’s run comes to an end in March 2024.
The appointment needs to be ratified by Italy’s parliament, with the Culture Commission from the chamber and senate announcing their opinions on November 14.
According to Italian news agency Ansa, which first reported the news, Buttafuoco practiced similar far-right politics as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a youth but now takes more traditionally conservative views and even writes for left-wing newspapers. He is considered a maverick thinker.
Rome Mayor and cinema association Anica President Francesco Rutelli told Ansa Buttafuoco is “never a banal intellectual...
Buttafuoco is set to replace Roberto Cicutto after being appointed by Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano of Italy’s right-wing coalition government. He will take up the post when Cicutto’s run comes to an end in March 2024.
The appointment needs to be ratified by Italy’s parliament, with the Culture Commission from the chamber and senate announcing their opinions on November 14.
According to Italian news agency Ansa, which first reported the news, Buttafuoco practiced similar far-right politics as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a youth but now takes more traditionally conservative views and even writes for left-wing newspapers. He is considered a maverick thinker.
Rome Mayor and cinema association Anica President Francesco Rutelli told Ansa Buttafuoco is “never a banal intellectual...
- 10/27/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Venice Biennale Chief Roberto Cicutto Set to Be Replaced by Right-Wing Writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco
Italy’s culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has designated Italian journalist and writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco as the new president of the Venice Biennale, the foundation that oversees the Venice Film Festival.
Buttafuoco, an openly right-wing member of Italy’s cultural establishment known to be an eclectic thinker, is now set to replace former film producer Roberto Cicutto at the Biennale’s helm when Cicutto’s four-year mandate expires in March 2024. Buttafuoco’s appointment still needs to be ratified by the culture commissions of Italy’s chamber of deputies and senate, but this is considered a mere formality.
Besides the film festival, the Venice Biennale foundation oversees other renowned events in the spheres of visual arts, music, architecture, dance and theater, making it one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions.
Buttafuoco taking the Biennale reins is not expected to immediately impact management of the Venice Film Festival, since its artistic...
Buttafuoco, an openly right-wing member of Italy’s cultural establishment known to be an eclectic thinker, is now set to replace former film producer Roberto Cicutto at the Biennale’s helm when Cicutto’s four-year mandate expires in March 2024. Buttafuoco’s appointment still needs to be ratified by the culture commissions of Italy’s chamber of deputies and senate, but this is considered a mere formality.
Besides the film festival, the Venice Biennale foundation oversees other renowned events in the spheres of visual arts, music, architecture, dance and theater, making it one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions.
Buttafuoco taking the Biennale reins is not expected to immediately impact management of the Venice Film Festival, since its artistic...
- 10/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Culture minister talks cuts after state funding for film soared to €800m in 2022
Italy is to cut the €800m of funding it currently earmarks for film production per year, according to Italian minister of culture Italian Gennaro Sangiuliano.
The move comes at a time when Italy is producing a high number of Italian and international films. However, Italian films are continuing to underperform at the box office compared to the pre-pandemic era.
“It’s time to intervene,” Sangiuliano said, noting that state funding for film soared from €400m in 2019 to €800m in 2022 according to data from the Investments in Cinema and Audiovisual Development Fund.
Italy is to cut the €800m of funding it currently earmarks for film production per year, according to Italian minister of culture Italian Gennaro Sangiuliano.
The move comes at a time when Italy is producing a high number of Italian and international films. However, Italian films are continuing to underperform at the box office compared to the pre-pandemic era.
“It’s time to intervene,” Sangiuliano said, noting that state funding for film soared from €400m in 2019 to €800m in 2022 according to data from the Investments in Cinema and Audiovisual Development Fund.
- 10/23/2023
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
The Venice Film Festival kicked off its 80th edition Wednesday night on a somewhat muted note, with the dual Hollywood strike casting a pall over the glitz and glamour that typically exemplify the world’s oldest cinema fest. Instead of Luca Guadagnino’s Zendaya starrer Challengers — which was scheduled to open Venice pre-strike, getting pulled amid the walkout — Venice was forced to go with a more locally focused feature, Edoardo De Angelis’ Italian World War II submarine drama, Comandante.
Italian actress Caterina Murino hosted the festival’s grand opening ceremony with a retrospective spanning eight decades of Venice cinema, featuring clips highlighting past Golden Lion winners. The audience burst into applause at the sight of the late William Friedkin, whose last film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, will premiere on the Lido this year.
Comandante tells the true story of Salvatore Todaro, a submarine captain under Italy’s fascist government who...
Italian actress Caterina Murino hosted the festival’s grand opening ceremony with a retrospective spanning eight decades of Venice cinema, featuring clips highlighting past Golden Lion winners. The audience burst into applause at the sight of the late William Friedkin, whose last film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, will premiere on the Lido this year.
Comandante tells the true story of Salvatore Todaro, a submarine captain under Italy’s fascist government who...
- 8/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The bizarre cage match challenge between tech tycoons Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg just got a little stranger.
In the last 24 hours, UFC President Dana White and Musk have both confirmed separately that they have talked with the Italian Ministry of Culture to hold the match in Italy.
The upcoming fight dates back to surprise exchange between the X (formerly Twitter) owner Musk and Meta founder Zuckerberg back in June.
Talking on the latest episode of boxing legend Mike Tyson’s podcast Hotboxin’, White reconfirmed that he had met with officials at the Ministry of Culture to discuss holding the fight in Rome’s Colosseum.
“We were talking about the Colosseum, and I actually did have a meeting with the Ministry of Culture’s team in Italy to actually hold that fight in the Colosseum, if it would happen,” he said on the subject of the Musk-Zuckerberg fight.
Tyson jokingly...
In the last 24 hours, UFC President Dana White and Musk have both confirmed separately that they have talked with the Italian Ministry of Culture to hold the match in Italy.
The upcoming fight dates back to surprise exchange between the X (formerly Twitter) owner Musk and Meta founder Zuckerberg back in June.
Talking on the latest episode of boxing legend Mike Tyson’s podcast Hotboxin’, White reconfirmed that he had met with officials at the Ministry of Culture to discuss holding the fight in Rome’s Colosseum.
“We were talking about the Colosseum, and I actually did have a meeting with the Ministry of Culture’s team in Italy to actually hold that fight in the Colosseum, if it would happen,” he said on the subject of the Musk-Zuckerberg fight.
Tyson jokingly...
- 8/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Author and anti-Mafia activist Roberto Saviano, whose Neapolitan mob exposé “Gomorrah” is the basis for the popular HBO Max series of the same title, stood his second trial in three months on Wednesday on charges of defaming a member of Italy’s current right-wing government.
Saviano first appeared in court in November for a defamation lawsuit brought by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for calling her a “bastard” while blasting her stance on migrants. This time, he is facing a libel suit from League leader and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini for also calling him a “bastard” while discussing migrants on a Rai TV talk show in December 2020.
On Rai talk show “Piazzapulita,” Saviano blasted Meloni and Salvini, who were then members of the opposition, for their attempts to block migrant rescue boats. Meloni said on the show that Rome should “repatriate migrants and sink the boats that rescued them.”
Saviano...
Saviano first appeared in court in November for a defamation lawsuit brought by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for calling her a “bastard” while blasting her stance on migrants. This time, he is facing a libel suit from League leader and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini for also calling him a “bastard” while discussing migrants on a Rai TV talk show in December 2020.
On Rai talk show “Piazzapulita,” Saviano blasted Meloni and Salvini, who were then members of the opposition, for their attempts to block migrant rescue boats. Meloni said on the show that Rome should “repatriate migrants and sink the boats that rescued them.”
Saviano...
- 2/1/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Sophia Loren said Monday that she is “deeply shaken and saddened” by the death of Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian actress who passed away Monday at the age of 95.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Gina Lollobrigida Dies: Italian Cinema Diva Was 95 Related Story Never Mind Rolex, How About A People's Premiere For The Movie Museum?
The two Italian actresses were often considered rivals, with both regarded as among the most beautiful international stars of the post-World War II years. They often competed for similar roles in films.
In a 2015 Vanity Fair article, Lollobrigida said the feud was started by Loren, and that she herself found it “really boring.”
Also today, director Giulio Base tweeted, “Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” and Italy’s Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted that her “charm will remain eternal.”
Addio ad una diva del grande schermo,...
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Gina Lollobrigida Dies: Italian Cinema Diva Was 95 Related Story Never Mind Rolex, How About A People's Premiere For The Movie Museum?
The two Italian actresses were often considered rivals, with both regarded as among the most beautiful international stars of the post-World War II years. They often competed for similar roles in films.
In a 2015 Vanity Fair article, Lollobrigida said the feud was started by Loren, and that she herself found it “really boring.”
Also today, director Giulio Base tweeted, “Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” and Italy’s Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted that her “charm will remain eternal.”
Addio ad una diva del grande schermo,...
- 1/16/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Tributes are pouring in for Gina Lollobrigida, one of Europe’s biggest movie stars, who died on Monday at the age of 95.
A global sex symbol during the 1950s and ’60s, Lollobrigida worked with Hollywood heavyweights such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Rock Hudson.
Sophia Loren was one of the first people to pay tribute to “La Lollo,” as the Italians called her. Loren said in a statement she “is deeply shaken and saddened” by the news of Lollobrigida’s death.
The two divas had parallel careers in Italy and Hollywood and were often considered rivals.
Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted: “Adieu to a diva of the big screen, protagonist of half a century of Italian cinema. Your charm will remain eternal. Ciao Lollo.”
“Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” Tweeted actor director Giulio Base, whose wife, Filming Italy festival chief Tiziana Rocca,...
A global sex symbol during the 1950s and ’60s, Lollobrigida worked with Hollywood heavyweights such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Rock Hudson.
Sophia Loren was one of the first people to pay tribute to “La Lollo,” as the Italians called her. Loren said in a statement she “is deeply shaken and saddened” by the news of Lollobrigida’s death.
The two divas had parallel careers in Italy and Hollywood and were often considered rivals.
Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted: “Adieu to a diva of the big screen, protagonist of half a century of Italian cinema. Your charm will remain eternal. Ciao Lollo.”
“Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” Tweeted actor director Giulio Base, whose wife, Filming Italy festival chief Tiziana Rocca,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Roberto Saviano, the Italian writer and journalist behind the Gomorrah film and series, will go to court this week charged with criminal defamation by Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister.
The charges relate to an incident that took place before Meloni was elected. Saviano, speaking on Italian current affairs show Piazzapulita in December 2020, called Meloni, leader of the neofascist Brother of Italy party, a “bastard” for her anti-immigrant policies.
The context was the death of a six-month-old baby from Guinea who drowned in the Mediterranean en route to Italy. The child was among six people who perished that night in a year an estimated 1,881 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean along various routes, according to figures from the refugee agency Unhcr. In the months leading up to this event, Meloni, then leader of the opposition, attacked rescue ships that were...
Roberto Saviano, the Italian writer and journalist behind the Gomorrah film and series, will go to court this week charged with criminal defamation by Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister.
The charges relate to an incident that took place before Meloni was elected. Saviano, speaking on Italian current affairs show Piazzapulita in December 2020, called Meloni, leader of the neofascist Brother of Italy party, a “bastard” for her anti-immigrant policies.
The context was the death of a six-month-old baby from Guinea who drowned in the Mediterranean en route to Italy. The child was among six people who perished that night in a year an estimated 1,881 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean along various routes, according to figures from the refugee agency Unhcr. In the months leading up to this event, Meloni, then leader of the opposition, attacked rescue ships that were...
- 11/14/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italian writer, journalist and political commentator Roberto Saviano is due to head to court in Rome on Tuesday (November 15) for the first hearing in a defamation trial brought against him by Italy’s newly installed, right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
The case is related to an incident that took place prior to Meloni taking the reins of power in Italy in October.
Meloni is suing Saviano over comments he made on the current affairs show Piazza Pulita in December 2020, during a discussion about the phenomenon of asylum seekers arriving on Italian shores via small boats or charity ships that rescue them from the sea, in which he referred to her as a “bastard” for her hard-line, anti-immigrant stance.
The judge charged with a preliminary investigation into the case ruled that the “epithet bastard” had gone “beyond the rights of political criticism” and gave the green light for the trial.
The...
The case is related to an incident that took place prior to Meloni taking the reins of power in Italy in October.
Meloni is suing Saviano over comments he made on the current affairs show Piazza Pulita in December 2020, during a discussion about the phenomenon of asylum seekers arriving on Italian shores via small boats or charity ships that rescue them from the sea, in which he referred to her as a “bastard” for her hard-line, anti-immigrant stance.
The judge charged with a preliminary investigation into the case ruled that the “epithet bastard” had gone “beyond the rights of political criticism” and gave the green light for the trial.
The...
- 11/14/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Citing 19th Century patriotic poetry and Mussolini-era writers and philosophers, the freshly appointed culture minister of Italy’s new right-wing government has promised a new era for the country’s cultural sector and revealed he wants to reform state funding for the performances arts.
Gennaro Sangiuliano is among 24 ministers in the new government of Giorgia Meloni, who was sworn in as Italian prime minister on Sunday, three-and-a-half weeks after her far-right Brothers of Italy party (Fratelli d’Italia) swept to victory in general elections.
Sangiuliano arrives from state broadcaster Rai, where he worked since 2003, rising through the ranks to become editor-in-chief of news programming at Italian state channel Rai 2 in 2018.
He replaces Dario Franceschini of the centre-left Democratic Party, who was Italy’s longest-serving minister of culture, and the TV and film worlds are now waiting to see what this means for the sectors.
The new minister told Rome...
Gennaro Sangiuliano is among 24 ministers in the new government of Giorgia Meloni, who was sworn in as Italian prime minister on Sunday, three-and-a-half weeks after her far-right Brothers of Italy party (Fratelli d’Italia) swept to victory in general elections.
Sangiuliano arrives from state broadcaster Rai, where he worked since 2003, rising through the ranks to become editor-in-chief of news programming at Italian state channel Rai 2 in 2018.
He replaces Dario Franceschini of the centre-left Democratic Party, who was Italy’s longest-serving minister of culture, and the TV and film worlds are now waiting to see what this means for the sectors.
The new minister told Rome...
- 10/25/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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