On 30 August, the Venice Film Festival’s Italian Pavilion hosted a panel session titled “Meet Your Baltic Partners: Co-Production Support, Tax Incentives, Cash Rebate”. Organised by the International Department of Cinecittà/DGCA, the meeting aimed to familiarise Italian producers with the financial and creative advantages of partnering with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The event was moderated by Cineuropa journalist Davide Abbatescianni.

Roberto Stabile, head of Internationalisation at Cinecittà/DGCA, opened the event, highlighting the strategic value of broadening Italy’s co-production network beyond familiar European partners. Laura Salerno, international funds and minority co-production officer at MiC-DG Cinema and Audiovisual, underscored this shift: “Italy has traditionally looked to neighbouring countries with shared cultural or geographic ties for collaboration. Today, diversity itself is a strength. By increasing our co-production development budget with Baltic partners from €30,000 to €40,000, we’re signalling a commitment to exploring new creative territories. These initiatives often begin at the script stage, injecting projects with an international perspective.” The forthcoming call for proposals is expected to open by 1 December, Salerno noted, grounded in the principles of the 2017 European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production.

Abbatescianni guided the audience through presentations from key Baltic representatives. From Estonia, Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute, and producer Evelin Penttilä, of Stellar Film, outlined the country’s incentives. “Our support focuses squarely on the auteur and their projects,” Sepp explained. Estonia offers a €100,000 fund with minimal administrative barriers, and from January 2026, producers can apply for a cash rebate covering 30%-40% of local expenses, with the total budget rising to €10 million annually. Penttilä added that the Estonian system is reliable and fast, and emphasised the value of early relationship-building between Italian and Estonian producers.

Latvia was represented by Dita Rietuma, CEO of the National Film Centre of Latvia, and producer Uldis Cekulis, of Riga-based VFS Films. Rietuma highlighted the country’s rich production infrastructure and natural landscapes, which offer diverse settings for international storytelling. Latvia provides a 20% cash rebate on minority co-productions, of up to €5 million annually, and has crews experienced in collaborating with regional partners in Estonia and Lithuania. Cekulis showcased recent projects, including the documentaries Tango of Life, The Rossellinis [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alessandro Rossellini
scheda film] and Roberto Rossellini – Living Without a Script.

Laimonas Ubavičius, CEO of the Lithuanian Film Centre, joined with colleagues Deimantas Saladžius and Emilija Sluškonytė from AUSTRÈ Studio to present Lithuania’s incentives and funding structure. Established in 2012, the centre manages an €11.2 million annual budget, with €9.25 million dedicated to supporting film projects. Lithuanian incentives cover development, production, promotion and international distribution across features, series, documentaries, VR and animation, with tax rebates of up to 30% of the production budget.

The event concluded with a clear message: the Baltic states offer reliable, creative and financially compelling options for Italian producers seeking new international partners.