The Italian Association of Film Directors and France's CNC, Arcom and USPA met in Rome to discuss artificial intelligence and the creation of a national Italian centre and media distribution windows

ANAC – the Italian National Association of Film Directors took part in a crucial meeting  (organised by Roberto Stabile, head of internationalisation at Cinecittà) at the French Embassy in Rome between a small group of representatives from the Italian film world (production, management, distribution, authors) and a delegation from institutions hailing from the French film world, including the CEO of the CNC – French National Film and Animated Centre Olivier Henrard, the head of the creation at ARCOM – the French public authority for regulation of audiovisual and digital communications (the French equivalent of Italy’s AGCOM) Raphael Berger, and the chair of USPA –the Audiovisual Production Union Iris Bucher.

The meeting saw the group discussing the best conditions for making the public support system for film and audiovisual works both virtuous and profitable with a view towards greater consistency across Europe. The key points to emerge revolved around the role of a national Italian film centre which would act as a regulator and mediator for a variety of (often conflicting) sector interests. The most important conditions, however, according to ANAC, should be cohesion between the various entities and a shared belief in the principle of solidarity.

The Italian Association of Film directors is asking the government to apply a specific tax which would be rigorously enforced, without exception, on turnovers of all businesses within the sector, across the entire chain (cinemas, broadcasters and platforms), which profit from the exploitation of audiovisual works and products.

The national centre should also be the entity to whom taxes should be paid, effectively becoming a tax collector. In essence, the Italian Association of Directors is hoping for a self-funded system “which doesn’t take a single euro from admissions paid for with taxpayers’ money”.

ANAC is also asking for the unbundling of tax credit - and all other tax exemptions for the industry which fall within the direct remit of the Ministry of Economic Affairs - from the budget for the film and audiovisual development fund and its associated framework.

The meeting also hosted discussions around the development of a chronology for the broadcasting of audiovisual works (so-called media windows), both for national and international productions, which would provide films with an opportunity to spend longer periods in cinemas.

ANAC Chair Francesco Ranieri Martinotti hoped for “an alliance between the French and Italian culture ministries which is even closer and more organic than the one initiated in Brussels in early May with a joint declaration issued by the respective ministries advocating for a ‘Cultural Europe’, encouraging the different countries to join forces in order to tackle the challenges which global broadcasting systems and artificial intelligence are posing to creativity and the arts”.

(Translated from Italian)