24/11/2005

A single Film Commission is being created to join the forces of the Lazio Region, the City of Rome and the five Lazio Province s. The project, the first of its kind in Italy, was announced this morning during a convention held by the President of the Lazio Region, Piero Marrazzo."Cinema is this country’s history,” said Marrazzo, speaking to the industry professionals present, “and we will place everything we have at our disposal. Not only can the Region be useful for cinema, but vice versa as well, for the stream of tourists it attracts and because it is an industry that produces prosperity." Marrazzo asked for the elimination of the previous film commissions: the region will be the head of the new commission "for the resources it can offer and to guarantee a legal framework that can offer services to film companies.” Marrazzo specified that through the FILAS (Innovation Funds for Lazio) they have been able to procure10m euro to place at the disposal of small and medium-sized businesses.

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There are numerous and significant measures for cinema promotion that the committee intends to insert in the 2006 Finance Law. Spokesman for the Arts Giulia Rodano illustrated, in particular, the financial initiative to anticipate VAT reimbursement for foreign companies that come to shoot in Lazio. The opening of the Office of the Lazio Region in Brussels was also announced, meant to facilitate participation in European funds competitions for Italian audiovisual companies. They are furthermore considering a campaign for the promotion of quality films, with ticket costs of 2.50 euro in 40 movie theatres across the provinces. Finally, an experimental project is being studied for the adoption of satellite and digital technologies, in new movie theatres that will be built where there today are no cinemas.

(Translated from Italian)