Italy

ITALY classic charm

House of Gucci © Universal Pictures.

From the ancient and classic cities of Rome and Venice to the idyllic and traditional landscapes of Ischia or the Aeolian islands and the vineyards of Tuscany, Italian regions offer a cornucopia of backdrops for a multitude of production needs.

One of pleasures to be had in watching House of Gucci was the film’s diverse use of Italian landscapes as a lush backdrop to the intrigue. Milan, Rome, Lake Como and the Alps all feature in Ridley Scott’s dramatic staging of Patrizia Reggiano’s life within the Gucci family, which starred Lady Gaga as Reggiano and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci. The Aosta Valley in Northwestern Italy, stood in for the resort of St Moritz, where Maurizio and Patrizia owned a chalet. Specifically, the villages of Gressoney-La-Trinité and Gressoney-Saint-Jean, nestled beneath Monte Rosa, have little changed since the 1990s, and therefore thoroughly suited to shooting a period film.

Film facilitator Shoot in the Alps guides foreign producers through the picturesque Alpine terrains that span France, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Advertising campaigns for fashion brand Pretty Little Thing and Moncler are among the many brands that have used the spectacular mountains as campaign backdrops.

Different regions within Italy boast location specific film commissions each equipped with a wealth of information and funding opportunities for international productions. The Trentino Film Fund, for example, offers producers up to EUR400,000 for each project that makes partial use of the Trentino landscape and includes at least 20% of local crew professionals.

“ITALIAN REGIONS SUCH AS TRENTINO AND TURIN PROVIDE INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS WITH ACCESS TO LOCALLY SPECIFIC INSIGHT AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.” LOCATION HIGHLIGHT Proclaimed as Italy’s capital of culture for 2022, Procida is a hidden gem in the Bay of Naples. With 10,500 inhabitants, the island is just under two miles in total, but is home to a wealth of captivating sites. Pastel coloured houses, picturesque café lined coasts and small cobble-stone streets are full of character in what is still a relatively unexplored location.

In spite of its tranquil environment, Procida has made big screen appearances, lending backdrops to The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) and 2020 local drama The Italian Boys.

Within the small island, Procida is home to a range of locations, including the ancient town of Terra Murata. Its steep cliffsides offer breathtaking views of the entire Gulf of Naples, and the Marina Grande, home of the 12th century Palazzo Merlato.

ESSENTIAL FACTS

TAX INCENTIVES 40%

The Italian government increased the tax credit from 30% to an impressive 40% incentive for foreign theatrical motion picture & television productions.

STUDIOS Rome’s legendary Cinecittà Studios boasts an impressive 400,000 sqm – space from sound stages to production offices. The studios are currently being extended with addition of two further sound stages, a permanent green screen room and a pool dedicated to underwater shooting. Upcoming projects include Finalmente L’Alba, starring Lily James and Willem Defoe. The Saverio Constanzo-directed film is set in the 1950s and will explore the reputation of the studios and its past status as Hollywood on the Tiber.

ATA CARNET YES

RECENT PRODUCTIONS Paramount+ announced its launch in Italy this autumn by debuting a slate of Italian originals including Circeo, a drama about the 1975 massacre; 14 Days, which tells the story of a couple forced into two weeks of seclusion; and Corpo Libero, a thriller based on the novel by Ilaria Bernardini.

TIME ZONE GMT +1

The Torino Piemonte Film Commission alone offers several distinct funding pots including the Piemonte Film TV Development Fund, Piemonte Doc Film Fund, and the Short Film Fund. In addition, the Piemonte Film TV Fund is provided by the Regione Piemonte organisation, offering a maximum of EUR200,000 for qualifying projects.

Italian producers can obtain up to 40% of the eligible costs of the total budget as tax credit for feature films, docs and television series. Commercial productions are not eligible. To encourage internal investment in the film industry, there’s also a tax credit of 20% for Italian companies outside the industry, which can rise to 40% if the film also obtains a fund from the state. In May 2022, the Italian government also increased tax credits for film exhibitors from 20% to an impressive 40%, following their full capacity cinema reopening in October 2021.

Milan based production company 20 Red Lights regards Italy as a nation that “provides quality, quantity and something different,” in comparison to neighbouring Mediterranean countries. For example, Daniel Craig raced both a motorcycle and an Aston Martin DB5 through the Unesco heritage site of Matera in southern Italy in the opening action sequences of the latest James Bond adventure No Time To Die. The hillside town, nicknamed Little Jerusalem, was previously used by Italian cinematic giant Pier Paolo Pasonlini for 1964 classic The Gospel According to St Matthew and Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 biblical drama The Passion of Christ used the rock church of San Nicola dei Greece for the last supper scene. For a less obviously used location, producers could head to Liguria a coastal region of north-western Italy and its capital of Genoa.

Such hidden gems could be found by calling on the services of Milan based production service and location-providing company Taaac! “We can now provide a full 360-degree location scouting experience for VR headgear or smartphones,” reports Taaac! co-owner Andrea Turchi.

The Italian film industry’s massive cultural influence has long marketed its national identity to a globally adoring audience. Michael Mann’s Ferrari, starring Adam Driver as the title character, is only the latest in this regard. It began principal photography in Italy in August in the home city of Ferrari, Modena, and follows the story of Enzo Ferrari, race car driver and founder of the luxury sports car company. The script is by Troy Kennedy Martin who wrote the original 1969 cars in Italy caper The Italian Job and is shot by Oscar winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt and edited by Oscar winner Pietro Scalia. THE ITALIAN FILM INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET ITS NATIONAL IDENTITY TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE KEEN TO EXPERIENCE LOCAL PASSION, HISTORY AND LUXURY.

SOMETHING ELSE The 66th Eurovision Song Contest was held at the multi-purpose indoor arena PalaOlimpico in Turin, after Måneskin’s success for Italy the previous year. This marked the country’s third time hosting of the live television spectacle, travelling to Naples in 1965 and Rome in 1991.

Måneskin, the Italian glam rock band, have been taken on a whirlwind ride following their win, achieving three UK Top 40 singles, and opening for legendary group The Rolling Stones. Other than its three winners over the years, Italy has seen performers placed within the top five a total of 15 times since their debut at the contest in 1956. Since then, they performed continuously up until 1980, taking a 13 year break that started in 1998 and returning to the competition in 2011.