11/05/2006

According to Cinetel data, there were 9.7m admissions to Italian cinemas in April, 41.4% higher than April 2005. In particular, the positive trend for Italian films continues as attested, on May 7, by a 30% box office share, a decrease in respect to the 35% recorded at the end of March.

Italian film journalists, however, are worried about the industry’s weakness, the shortage of funds, lack of agreements on "windows" and the relationship with information. In an article published in the Giornale dello Spettacolo, Fabio Ferzetti, of daily paper Il Messaggero, emphasized that "they only think in terms of a large box office: the new legislative norms have caused a decrease in production, and if it was good in skimming away a lot of ‘useless’ films, it is nevertheless very dangerous for the Italian production landscape. ‘Less films equals more quality films’ is a formula that doesn’t work. Italian cinema is losing talented people who no longer work or work very little”.

For Paolo Mereghetti of Corriere della Sera, “we forget that there are much broader problems. Like in regards to windows: we are perhaps the only country in Europe where nothing has yet been decided on the dates and rules” of film distribution. While for Bruno Torri, president of the film critics’ union, Italian cinema needs "greater visibility for its films, a free market for more diverse films, state backing with adequate resources, less dependency on television and a program aimed at a socio-cultural vocation".

(Translated from Italian)