Italian Screens returns to China to build on its success in Beijing, in 2023 and 2024, as a special section at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The Section offers the festival audience a preview of seven titles that, together, demonstrate the diverse, innovative and deeply human face of contemporary Italian cinema: FolleMente by Paolo Genovese; Diamonds by Ferzan Özpetek; Napoli-New York by Gabriele Salvatores; Il Nibbio by Alessandro Tonda; Nonostante by Valerio Mastandrea; La storia del Frank e della Nina by Paola Randi and Vermiglio by Maura Delpero.
The press conference was attended by Roberto Stabile, Head of Internationalization at the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual (DGCA-MiC) at Cinecittà; Chen Guo, Managing Director of Shanghai International Film and TV Events Center; Li Na, Chinese film distributor; and director Paolo Genovese.
Established thanks to the collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), and the Directorate-General for Cinema and Audiovisual with the organizational support of the international department of Cinecittà, "Italian Screens" promotes Italian audiovisual content globally, raising awareness of the country’s cinematographic excellence and its support tools such as tax credit and grants for distribution and co-productions.
During the presentation, Roberto Stabile highlighted how "Italian Screens" is more than a simple showcase; it offers an opportunity for growth for the Italian film industry, thanks to the Film Distribution Fund (€2 million p.a.), which supports international theatrical releases with contributions of up to €50k per film for foreign distributors.
Stabile told the Chinese press: “We are proud to bring engaging and exciting Italian cinema to Shanghai. In collaboration with the Chinese distributor Man Mok Films, we organized a special Italian Screens preview of 'C’è ancora domani' by Paola Cortellesi in Beijing last November to test audience reaction. Thanks also to the support of the Film Distribution Fund, the film was then theatrically distributed in March this year and has been hugely successful. Now we are happy to present 'FolleMente' with the same distribution: the film has racked up over 2.3 million viewers in Italy, becoming one of the most successful titles of the season. We trust that it will conquer the Chinese audience with the same enthusiasm.”
The Chinese film market is one of the strongest in the world, with 90,000 screens and a robust recovery after the pandemic collapse. This year, the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 marked an extraordinary milestone, becoming the most successful animated film ever and the first non-Hollywood film to surpass $2 billion in global box office receipts. A demonstration of the growing interest in Chinese audiences for narratives that combine shared values ??and universal themes.
At the conference event, Nicola Borrelli, Director General of Cinema and Audiovisual (DGCA-MiC) noted “The DGCA has always believed in our collaboration with China: it has supported a special project for six years that has now merged into Italian Screens and the promotion of the Film Distribution Fund. The success of Cortellesi’s film is confirmation that we are on the right path for promoting quality Italian cinema abroad”.
Launched in 2022, Italian Screens promotes Italian cinema abroad, providing support to Italian Cultural Institutes and diplomatic offices with contemporary, quality audiovisual products. The initiative is the result of a collaboration between various ministries and institutes, working together to boost distribution and increase the presence of Italian cinema in emerging markets.
Italian Screens has already been active in numerous parts of the globe, including the United States, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, with promotional events and screenings. The renewed agreement in 2024 has expanded the possibilities for collaboration and removed restrictions on programming, favoring greater exposure and opportunities for the Italian audiovisual industry.
The goal for 2025 is to take Italian Screens to new locations and to enrich programming where it is already a consolidated event, adding more promotional opportunities to enhance dialogue between cinema and the various areas of cultural promotion of “Made in Italy”.