25/01/2005

Giuliano Urbani, the Italian secretary for cultural activities, is positive: "From now on, less films will be made, but that is so much gained in quality". In his interview with the daily paper "Il messaggero", Urbani explains the new changes he has just implemented and how cinema will be funded in 2005.
This year, the United Funds for the visual arts (Fus) attributed 73.975.000 euros for the cinema only. 54 million euros divided into four different branches will go to films with a national cultural interest, 18 million euros (divided into four) go to first and second works, 1.600.000 euros will support short films, and 375.000 euros will be shared between 15 scripts.
Expenses relative to Cinecittà and la Mostra de Venise will not be covered by the Fus anymore but «as much as possible » by external financial sources. Besides, Gaetano Blandini, head of the Cinema section, announced a few days ago that the new law exempts funds dedicated to cinema from the usual "rotation" mechanism, which means that incomes will now be immediately available to support production, distribution, and marketing.

For national secretary Urbani, "a great cleasing work has just been accomplished; thus the great wave of renewal Italian cinema is going through will take place on a solid ground".This legal reform, awaited for decades, still limits State participation to 50 per cent of the cost for every project. The other half will rely on private funds. But future prospects are more than encourageing".
As far as product placement is concerned, Urbani points out that the system is brand new, and therefore "needs time to settle and work properly, but if it already works in the rest of the world, why wouldn't it be the case especially here?...In the meantime, we do our best to increase the presence of Italian cinema on foreign screens through coproductions et co-distributions, welcoming foreign investors to support our cinema".

(Translated from Italian)