21/06/2012 - The 2011 Rapport of the Fondazione Ente dello Spetacolo depicts an Italian cinema that has returned to its standards of the sixties. But this year’s data is worrying

“In 2011, Italian cinema produced 155 features, returning to its level of the sixties and confirming a significant capture of market share”. This was confirmed by the president of the Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo Dario Edoardo Viganò (photo) with the ”Rapporto 2011. The Film Industry and Market in Italy” data in hand, a report compiled by the Area Study section of the Fondazione now in its fourth edition. “In times of general crisis, cinema contributes to an increase in employment, with an anti-cyclical trend and almost 4000 active contributors more than in 2009”, he adds. In fact, the data shows a rise in the use of private funds, a decrease of American productions in the Italian market, and an increase in Italian films in top 20 box office sales.

Unfortunately since last December, these trends have inversed themselves: the decrease in productions is evident. For Luciano Sovena, administrator of Cinecittà Luce “the data from this winter is certainly not as good that of 2011 which, nonetheless, represent a success for commercial cinema. The problem is for first and second films for which there is a difficulty in distribution”. Riccardo Tozzi, president of Anica confirmed that “we are faced with the end of a cycle, and now we must begin a new one. The disappearance of Italian films from our movie theatres is, in this period, a suicidal approach.” He mentioned of the responsibility of television: “whilst Mediaset is broadcasting the films we produce, the Rai is not doing the same and is therefore not fulfilling its public service function”.

Lionello Cerri, the president of ANEC, highlighted the difficulties in financing of numerous theatres that “must face digitalization which is a large investment, not all of them are able to meet the expenses with provided state resources.” Nicola Borrelli, general director of MiBac cinema announced that: “the necessary measures to make tax credit accessible, even to small theatres, should have been inserted in the decree that was approved last Friday, we are awaiting the publication. It does not solve the problem, but it is a big push.”

(Translated from Italian)