A meeting between French and Italian institutions and professionals to discuss issues and prospects in the transalpine region

09 4月 2025

After the new edition, last January, of the Parisian event De Rome à Paris – Italian Screens, featuring co-production meetings between France and イタリア, Rome hosted a new Franco-Italian professional meeting orchestrated by Unifrance, the Institut Français - Italy and DGCA-MiC (Direction Générale du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel du Ministère de la Culture), and Cinecittà, with the collaboration of the CNC and the Ambassade de France - Italy.

The annual round table was held on April 3 at the Palazzo Farnese, headquarters of the Ambassade de France in Italy, on the occasion of the 15th edition of the French film festival Rendez-vous – Nuovo cinema francese.
The Italian film industry is undergoing a major transformation, and a panel of experts gathered to debate the issue at a conference opened by Martin Briens (Ambassadeur de France in Italy), Asia Ruperto (Cinecittà), and Daniela Elstner (Unifrance). On the agenda: the state of film and audiovisual markets, distribution challenges, and financing issues.

Martin Briens, Ambassadeur de France in Italy, welcomed the guests, reminding them that France and Italy have been each other's leading production partners for many decades.

Daniela Elstner reminded participants that Italy is an essential territory for French cinema, and that the results in 2025 are already excellent, thanks in particular to Emilia Pérez and Flow. In a context of winning back viewers, and in a highly charged geopolitical climate (where culture also suffers its share of threats), she stressed that Franco-Italian collaboration is a cornerstone, that our proximity must be maintained, and collaborations strengthened.

A return to pre-pandemic levels?
After years marked by the pandemic, cinema attendance in Italy is back on track. Davide Novelli (representing Cinetel, and also working for distributor PiperFilm) gave an overview of the sector.
The return of younger audiences, low attendance figuress among senior citizens, national cinema's market share at 25%, multiplexes' momentary loss of momentum due to fewer American releases (itself linked to strikes in Hollywood), summer torpor increasingly countered thanks in particular to pricing operations, strong development potential: these were the highlights of the presentation, which suggested that a return to pre-crisis levels was conceivable.

Producing in Italy: opportunities and constraints
While Italian film and audiovisual production (Federico Scardamaglia, from Leone Film Group, spoke of a veritable golden age for series in Italy) is dynamic, some wondered about the number of works produced.
The relationship with streaming platforms was also discussed, with a particular focus on the crucial issues of the ownership of works and preserving the diversity of the landscape.
Financing was another major issue, with a focus on the role of tax credits, television channels, regional authorities, and the development of international co-productions.

Tax credits: what are the prospects?
Rossella Gaudio (DGCA-MiC) provided a wealth of information on current reforms, and in particular on the arrival of the latest decrees governing tax incentives for the film industry.
French producers were not short of questions to help them better understand the contours of the current decrees, which are nonetheless awaiting final validation and possible adjustments by the end of May.