16/10/2006

Aside from co-productions (see news), the second edition of the French-Italian Film Forum – organised by Unifrance, the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), the General Direction for Cinema (DGC) and Cinecittà Holding – has explored other possibilities of strengthening collaborations between the two countries.

Defined by Unifrance President Margaret Ménégoz as the weak link in French-Italian relations, distribution was also the focus of a detailed analysis that revealed the current lack of balance. While 13 Italian films were distributed in France in 2005 for a market share of 0.42% (compared to 0.21% in 2004), 41 French features released on Italian screens accounted for 3.77% of admissions (2.51% last year), thus there is quite a paradoxical situation with a greater number of French films being released on a smaller-sized Italian market with less films released and overall low admissions.

Confronted with the same difficulties in both countries, (inflation in releases, prints and promotional budgets), distributors meeting in Rome have especially called for greater promotion of Italian cinema abroad, increased participation with the media and more co-productions, which would guarantee distribution channels, as was the case for Emanuele Crialese’s The Golden Door. However, according to Valerio De Paolis (BIM Distribuzione), the situation requires urgent solutions, as the quality of French films alone is not sufficient to attract interest from critics and Italian audiences.

Opportunities seem more plentiful with regard to regional funds, now well-established and offering significant funding in France, and which are mushrooming in Italy.

Promises of co-operation on a European scale are taking shape, such as the Cine-Regio network and the association between the Île de France and Lazio regions, which will announce on Wednesday the long-awaited creation (with Germany’s Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg) of a co-production support fund between the three countries.

The fund – which the Madrid Film Commission may join at a later date – is expected to offer €1m per region and may be up and running by the second half of 2007 or early 2008 following the harmonisation of funding allocation criteria.

(Translated from French)