Professional and institutional actors from France and Italy exchanged on March 30, 2023, within the framework of the 13th Rendez-vous – Nuovo cinema francese, to refine strategies and collaborations within the film industries of both countries.
In a new edition of the professional section of the Rendez-vous – Nuovo cinema francese, Unifrance, in collaboration with the General Direction of Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Institut Français - Italy, staged a Franco-Italian meeting in the Palazzo Farnese / Ambassade de France.
Eight French producers (Bertrand Faivre/Le Bureau, Nicolas Mauvernay/Mizar Films, Charles Philippe/Les films du clan, Sophie Révil/Escazal Films, Philippe Martin/Les Films Pelléas, Sandra Da Fonseca/Blue Monday Productions, Jean-Christophe Reymond/Kazak Productions, and Lionel Massol/Films Grand Huit) were present.
The first seven producers mentioned had a film in the program of the 13th edition of the Rendez-vous, co-organized by Unifrance and the Institut Français Italy, while Lionel Massol traveled to Rome to discuss the France-Italy-Belgium-Poland co-production Disco Boy (Silver Bear for Best Artistic Contribution in Berlin this year) with his Italian partner Dugong Films, represented by Giulia Achilli.
Distribution and exhibition outlook in Italy
They were all hence able to participate, after the introductory speeches by Clément Hervé (Deputy Director of the Institut Français Italy) and Serge Toubiana (President of Unifrance), and before the concluding words of Daniela Elstner (Executive Director of Unifrance) and Roberto Stabile (Director of Special Projects DGCA-MiC/Cinecittà), in two discussion sessions about the distribution and exhibition outlook in Italy, and the production environment in Italy and France, after the specific presentation of co-production Disco Boy.
Five Italian producers (Benedetto Habib/Indiana Production, Maria Carolina Terzi/Mad Entertainment, Marta Donzelli/Vivo Film, Francesca Cualbu/Groenlandia, Giulia Achilli/Dugong Films), two distributors (Antonio Medici/Bim Distribuzione, Andrea Occhipinti/Lucky Red), and Simone Gialdini (ANEC, the Italian Exhibitors Association) participated in this encounter.
After the sessions' opening speeches, the French professionals present were able to share their reactions, reflect on French experience, provide information on a national market where the variables (especially in terms of funding windows, media chronologies, or integration of platforms) present differences compared to the Italian film sector.
The French-Italian co-production situation (and of the fund dedicated to it), the change in spectators' typology, declining cinema-going habits, and promotional strategies (Italy will launch a big communication campaign to encourage spectators to return to theaters and will propose a special ticket price for Italian and European films this summer) to counteract this tendency, the competition from streaming platforms, comparison of media chronologies, and the strength of the French eco-system were the main topics discussed
After the 2022 edition, the exchanges were again valuable in this "working group" format, which allowed for greater interaction and feedback from both sides.
These Professional Meetings in Rome are part of an increasingly close collaboration between the institutions of the two countries for the organization of exchanges between professionals and the development of common policies, and the many Franco-Italian projects mentioned by the participants further underlined the strong vitality of this relationship.
The event was organized with support from MOViE UP 2020 - Regione Lazio - Assessorato Lavoro, Università, Scuola, Formazione, Ricerca e Merito - POR FSE 2014-2020 – Asse 3 Istruzione e formazione.
