Italian film and TV orgs will hold an emergency press conference in Rome next week to discuss the damage being done to their sectors by uncertainty over the future of direct funding and tax credits.
The meeting on April 5 in Rome’s Cinema Adriano will gather the members of 14 professional bodies including filmmakers’ org 100 Autori, producer groups Anica and AGICI, Cartoon Italia and the actors’ association Unita.
“The first quarter of 2024 saw an abrupt halt in film and audiovisual production, due to uncertainty and the continued delay in the implementation of public support measures for the sector,” said the film and TV orgs in a statement announcing the conference.
Italy’s right-wing government has been making noises for months about its reform of the country’s Cinema Law, first mooted prior to its arrival in power in 2022.
The legislation covers direct film and TV funding, as well as the 40% tax credits for film and TV series, which have put Italy back on the map as a production hub in recent years.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said back in October that public spending on the tax credit had ballooned from $494M (€423M) in 2019 to $907M (€841M) in 2022, and that it needed reining in.
He questioned how the scheme had helped finance a number of local, big budget box office flops as well as the fact that the credit had been used for seven-figure pay-outs for directors. He suggested the latter should be removed as an eligible cost.
Further potential changes talked about in the press by Culture Under-Secretary Lucia Borgonzoni include a cut in the tax credit from 40% to 30% for international productions unless they feature an Italian director, screenwriter or actor.
She has also suggested that there could be changes to spending caps as well as other tweaks for local companies, linked to their size and trackrecord.
None of these changes are set in stone yet but lack of clarity over what lies down the road has set the local film and TV biz on edge.
“From a situation of full employment and strong growth in all segments of the supply chain, we are now faced with a real emergency with many productions postponed or cancelled,” the orgs’ statement continued.
“Unions indicate that employment levels are plummeting, with many workers forced to resort to unemployment benefits (NASPI) and many sound stages empty except for some foreign productions.”
