5. Minister Urbani's Reforms
Minister Urbani’s Reform
A massive advertising campaign to get people to go back to seeing Italian films, the internationalisation of our cinema by means of agreements with other countries, the penetration of heretofore unexplored markets like Russia and China, the restoration to Cinecittà of the theatres currently controlled by Istituto Luce. These are the main points of the programme with which Italy’s Minister for Culture, Giuliano Urbani, intends relaunching Italian cinema. He set down the fundaments of this reform in an draft he sent to the new board of administration of Cinecittà Holding (see…). Everything points to an authentic revolution in appointments starting with the new managing director (MD) of Cinecittà, Ubaldo Livolsi, a major player in Italian private finance, and formerly a leading manager of the Fininvest Group and overseer of Mediaset’s being quoted on the Italian stock exchange.
Cinecittà
According to the Minister, it is from the Holding whose job it is to promote Italian cinema, that services “ of crucial importance for this particular moment in history that cinema is experiencing” will be forthcoming. It is from Cinecittà “that the internationalisation of Italian cinema must begin. I intend to see it all over the world by means of co-productions, European co-distribution, and exploitation at various levels. We foresee a rationalisation of resources. Cinecittà will have to regroup its participations, which today are spread all over to the detriment of correct functionality. I am referring to cinemas in particular. We want to create sites with a strongly defined mission and not disperse our energies in a variety of activities. Istituto Luce must return to its historical role of always: the production of historical documentaries and the curator of the archives. It will lose its theatres but gain in terms in identity” (at present Luce manages the Mediaport multi-screen circuit – editor’s note).
The campaign
“Two important surveys, by the BNL and RaiCinema, point to a worrying piece of data: members of the public think that Italian films are boring and of an inferior quality to its American counterpart.
First of all we want to promote awareness and knowledge of Italian cinema in schools. Then we would like to launch an advertising campaign to bring the public closer to Italian films. We signed an agreement with RAI that includes the creation of a news programme specialised in entertainment. We are putting pressure on the private networks, on Mediaset, for them to give Italian cinema a higher profile. Without forgetting the European scenario”
International Agreements
“We are intensifying our diplomatic efforts on the international scene to open to private enterprise. In the last two months we have done a lot of work with Russia and China, two new and highly receptive markets.” At the of January the minister signed a joint venture agreement in New Delhi between Italy and India that opens the way to cooperation between the two countries’ respective film industries. The agreement includes permission to shoot in either country, and an exchange of professors from each country’s national film schools in order to create new projects together. Furthermore a commission from all sides will selet the most representative Italian and Indian films and present each to the other country’s audiences. These films will be programmed in Italy’s quality film exhibition circuits and Indian films will also be included in Rai and other broadcasters’ programming line ups.
European Cinema
“This is a very positive time: all the European states now understand that in order to face up to the challenge of America, we must join forces. I often meet with my counterparts from France, Spain, Germany, England and together, we are taking giant steps forward to give quality European films a much higher international profile. We dream of breaking into the American market but we want to fight Hollywood on equal terms, that is why we are thinking about a theatrical circuit to release exhibitors from the blackmail of the major distributors.”
State Funding
"The film funding system must change. Less discretionality in examining single projects and more attention on those presenting them. The so-called Reference System.
Some of the Minister’s statements were taken from an interview he gave to the “Il Messaggero” daily newspaper.
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