23/02/2006

"I thank the Undersecretary but, unfortunately, the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro does not carry out its duties as the bank of Italian film, and actually hinders us. The money never arrives when it is needed, that is, during production".

Thus responded Fulvio Lucisano (I.I.F.), producer of La notte prima degli esami (lit. “The Night Before Exams”), to a statement made on Wednesday by Undersecretary of Culture Antonio Martusciello that this "debut film, having obtained financing from the Ministry, earned more than any other in Italian history. Among other things, this success is due to the Ministry’s ability to correctly evaluate the proposed films".

In a telephone interview with Cineuropa, Lucisano expressed his satisfaction over the success of La notte prima degli esami, directed by Fausto Brizzi (and co-produced by RAI Cinema, I.I.F. and Aurora), which grossed over €1.25m on 237 screens last weekend, earning the highest per screen average (over €5,000). Yet he spares no criticism for bureaucracy behind public financing: “The BNL had an important role in film production, which has now become one of strangulation. Coincidentally, I have a meeting today with the head of the [Cultural] Ministry’s General Direction for Cinema, Gaetano Blandini, to discuss this problem". The amount that is supposed to arrive from the BNL is significant: "€800,000. I won’t accept it".

(Translated from Italian)