04/01/2007

Roberto Cicutto and Luigi Musini, founding associates of Mikado, have sold off all of their distribution company to De Agostini.

In 2000, Mikado sold a 51% share to the editorial group, who will now take the reins of all of the outfit’s distribution activities.

Piracy, growth in film exhibition means, the fall in interest experienced by generalised TV channels and, most importantly, audiences’ choice of a very limited number of popular titles at the box office (and the disappearance of a middle man) are some of the reasons for the sale of the company, which Cicutto says, "needs to reinvent itself by diversifying its products with more aggressive market penetration; now a big group such as De Agostini has all the titles to do just that".

In its 22 years of business, Mikado can boast numerous achievements. It introduced Italian audiences to such directors as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Zhang Yimou, Jane Campion, Abbas Kiarostami, Derek Jarman, Edgar Reitz. Italian productions released through the company include The Peaceful Air of the West by Silvio Soldini, Santa Maradona by Marco Ponti, That’s It and But Forever in My Mind by Gabriele Muccino, Morte di un matematico napoletano by Mario Martone, Alambrado by Marco Bechis and The Window Opposite by Ferzan Ozpetek. The last title distributed by Mikado was Le rose del deserto, the 65th film by maestro Mario Monicelli.

Ciccutto and Musini, who controlled 25% of Sacher Film, will now focus their efforts on the production of a project by helmer Alex Infascelli, who is planning a remake of Giuliano Montaldo’s 1979 title Il giocattolo.

(Translated from Italian)