12/03/2003 - Positive results from the first six months of a new bilateral joint venture with a co-distribution project in the pipeline

After their recent meeting in Rome, the Ministers for Culture of France and Italy, Jean-Jacques Aillagon and Giuliano Urbani, said that the two countries were working very well together especially in the film production and distribution fields.
“Thanks to the measures we implemented, “ said Urbani, “French audiences are seeing more Italian films and vice-versa. Just last month Istituto Luce bought the Italian distribution rights to four French titles, while French attendance for Italian films doubled during the last three months of 2002 with respect to 2001.”

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Gianni Profita, Italy’s director-general for cinema at the ministry for culture, is also reaping the benefits of the standing committee that he, and his French counterpart at the CNC, David Kessler set up in December 2002. The aim of the committee was to optimise and coordinate relations and exchanges between France and Italy.
Profita announced that the next scheduled meeting would take place in April when, as well as consolidating existing bilateral agreements with regards to film theatres, the participants would also set down guidelines for a co-distribution joint venture, the legal aspects of which are currently under examination.