01/12/2007

Some say filmmaking is about dreams, emotions, the wish to convey a message and also to entertain. But then there’s the numbers; the ‘boffo’ at the box office and how many behinds occupied some seats. This week the annual “mercato cinematografico italiano 2006-2007” was presented to those interested in pie charts and statistics of all sorts. There is no doubt that these publications give what is needed: the cold facts of the business.

In Europe one can find familiarities in them regardless of the country. Ticket prices are going up, one-screen cinemas are closing down, and usually the most watched films of the year are not domestic ones. So anything new? Is Italy an exception? In the year 2006 there were 117 films produced. To make these happen, perhaps television was needed, and some stories for regional tastes. Like elsewhere there is the yearly event movie and the sleeper. From a foreign perspective, recent Italian films are about going on holiday or finding a way to love. Nothing bad in that.

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Clearly things are better than in the nineties. But what used to be a long line of names from Visconti to Antonioni or from Bava to Margheriti is now “just” Moretti and Sorrentino. In any case the brand of Italian film is still strong. At least in the case of Italy most people can name a filmmaker, even some films. How many European countries can truly live up to that? In the meanwhile I am waiting for the big screen adaptation of La Sposa Perfetta.