Two days of meetings between French and Italian institutions and professionals to discuss challenges and opportunities for collaboration

14 4月 2026

Following another edition of the Paris event De Rome à Paris – Italian Screens last January—which featured, among other events, co-production meetings between France and イタリア—Rome hosted a new Franco-Italian industry event organized by Unifrance, the Institut Français - Italy, the DGCA-MiC (Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs of the Ministry of Culture), and Cinecittà, in collaboration with the CNC and the Ambassade de France in Italy.

During the 16th French film festival Rendez-vous – Nuovo cinema francese, the French industry professionals in attendance were able to attend the festival’s opening ceremony, tour the Cinecittà studios, participate in an informal gathering hosted by producer Maria Carolina Terzi with Italian producers and distributors, and take part in a roundtable discussion at the Palazzo Farnese, the headquarters of the Ambassade de France in Italy.

The market and regulatory framework of the Italian film industry are undergoing significant transformation, and a group of experts gathered on April 9 to discuss this during a conference opened by Anne-Marie Descôtes (Ambassadrice de France in Italy), Roberto Stabile (Cinecittà), and Daniela Elstner (Unifrance).

Discussions focused in particular on the state of film distribution in Italy, where participants noted the ongoing growth in the screening of films in their original language, and praised the “slow” approach to marketing arthouse films and the role of word-of-mouth in countering the focus on volume, quantity, and aggressive promotion—particularly for films offered by streaming platforms.

Participants then had the opportunity to examine a case study of a co-production between the two countries—Bertrand Bonello's film Santo Subito!—in the presence of its French and Italian producers (while filming was actually taking place simultaneously in Rome and at the Palazzo Farnese), as well as the current challenges facing Franco-Italian co-productions

The DGCA-MiC concluded the session and continued to facilitate discussions by providing clarification on national and international tax credits, which are currently undergoing reform.

During these industry meetings, the Institut Français in Italy and Cinecittà announced the launch of the third edition of the Scenari Transalpini program, an incubation workshop dedicated to the development of screenplays for Franco-Italian film and audiovisual works.

For the 2026 edition, the program will support six screenwriting projects for dramatic, live action audiovisual series, three from Italian initiatives and three from French initiatives.

Details of the call for projects are available here.