CANNES - At the heart of the Cannes Film Festival, amidst red carpets and international premieres, is a space dedicated to Italy and everything that makes the country an increasingly strategic destination for major international productions: Cinecittà. During the Global Conversation Summit organized by Variety, the focus shifted from the Croisette to Via Tuscolana to discuss how the Roman studios have become synonymous with innovation, efficiency and beauty. Representatives of the institutions and the industry - including the DGCA of the Ministry of Culture Nicola Borrelli and Francesca Rotondo Senior Sales Manager of Cinecittà – took the stage to outline the new trajectories of the Italian production system, winning over the crowded audience of international professionals.
Italy offers not only sets with picture-postcard natural beauty. It is also a country that has structured one of the most solid and advantageous production support models in Europe. The international tax credit can reach up to 40%. Financing assigned through an Italian executive producer has a flexibility that allows most of it, around 70%, to be used during the filming phase. In addition, even those only post-producing in Italy can access incentives, significantly expanding the possibilities for international productions, as noted by Nicola Borrelli.
In support of this tax system, there is also a widespread network of local film commissions, with the capacity to expertly accompany each project with technical support and timely consultancy.
While numbers are important, the experience that a production has in the field is even more so, and this is where Cinecittà shows its unique character. "Those who come to us - explained Francesca Rotondo - find everything they need to shoot a film in one place: sound stages, offices, technical departments, post-production, and an archive that preserves the visual memory of Italian cinema and beyond". The recent expansion plan - supported by PNRR funds - will soon bring the number of soundstages from 19 to 24, with a 60% increase in available surface area. Among these, Theatre 18 stands out as a cutting-edge space equipped with a large revolving LED wall for virtual production, already used by important international sci-fi productions, the first being Angelina Jolie's Without Blood.
In addition to technology, Cinecittà continues to focus on its most precious asset: people. Artisans, technicians, set designers and editors of the highest level transform each project into something unique. "It's what we call the Cinecittà touch” said Rotondo, “a combination of expertise, flexibility and creativity that allows us to meet every type of request".
This added value is recognized by the big names in international cinema. Mel Gibson has chosen to return to Rome twenty years after The Passion of the Christ for the sequel The Resurrection of the Christ, currently in pre-production, and Ridley Scott has already put down roots in the studios for his new film The Dog Stars.
Steve Jelley, long-time producer and line producer of the epic series Those About to Die, directed by Roland Emmerich, which was filmed in Teatro 18, and also used Cinecittà's post-production services illustrated what it means to work in Cinecittà today, a large ecosystem that meets the needs in every phase of the creation of a work. "Shooting in Cinecittà doesn't just mean using equipped sound stages, but also having access to the entire city of Rome, a coveted destination. It only takes five minutes to convince an actor or a director to work in a place so full of history and charm".
This is the strength of Cinecittà today: a bridge between past and future, between the artisanal savoir-faire of tradition and the immersive technologies of virtual production. It is a model that attracts, convinces and builds loyalty among those who are looking not only for a place to shoot, but a partner capable of accompanying the artistic vision through every phase of the creative process.