Closed rooms, open sets, it's a take record

Latin America by the D'Innocenzo brothers from March, Il Re by Giuseppe Gagliardi always in March with Luca Zingaretti, the first Italian prison drama and the actor's first TV series on Sky, Gucci by Ridley Scott with Lady Gaga and an all-star cast and then again Drought the new film by Paolo Virzì, The first day of my life by Paolo Genovese, the Rai1 series A professor by Alessandro D'Alatri with Alessandro Gassmann until May, those of Netflix Generation 56K by Francesco Ebbasta and Alessio Maria Federici made in collaboration with The Jackal and Fidelity by Stefano Cipani and Andrea Molaioli from the novel by Marco Missiroli with Michele Riondino and Lucrezia Guidone. And the next top secret film by the brilliant Wes Anderson is that of Marco Bellocchio. The list could go on for a very long time and concerns only the shooting in Rome. The Italian cinemas have been closed for some time, they could reopen on March 27, the sets are instead at full capacity, they have never stopped and are indeed in record production, as confirmed to ANSA Cristina Priarone general director of the Rome and Lazio FilmCommission and ifc president of the national film commission. Not only the production numbers have grown in the last 12 months, but also the weeks of work as there are so many TV series on the set. "The arrival on our territory of such large players, such as the streaming giant Netflix and then Disney +, Prime Video and others, has become an engine, favoring local original productions but this - says Priarone - is one of the reasons, the other is certainly the explosion in demand for products which, with closed entertainment venues, cinemas, theaters, concert halls, has led to a great hunger for audiovisuals to be seen at home, a trend that will not be suddenly reversed ". Having generalist TVs, pay TVs and all platforms at their disposal has turbo-charged the system that now accelerates product creation and all those companies with projects in preparation have thrown themselves headlong with the result that all technical and artistic figures of cinema and TV are at work: finding a free location manager, to give an example heard in the environment, is impossible. "Not all is lost if we shoot, the boom of the sets is an antidepressant vital energy for the situation of cinema and entertainment" - observes Priarone, who adds: "in reality it has been for some years that the work of filming has made great leaps of quality with the relief on taxation, regional funds and all the rest. But the most important thing of all is that we are working with absolute safety, thanks to an incredible work of health protocols for the Covid free production, done by trade associations, actors, crews, productions, Anica, etc. during the first months of the pandemic, with the approval of the Technical Scientific Committee. If today you go around Rome and come across so many sets, it is thanks to this protocol that you work without risk and which, despite the many logistical difficulties, also attracted international sets, such as Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise and the Steve Zaillian series 'Ripley' from the novels of Patricia Highsmith. Rome leads the charge, even with overtaking numbers. "An excellent sign is the possible reopening of cinemas and theaters on March 27. In Rome, meanwhile, filming not only held up compared to the beginning of last year, when the health emergency had not yet begun, but in February 2021 there was also an increase of authorized sets in the city. In February of last year 120, while in this last month of 2021 there were 138 ", says the Councilor for Cultural Growth Lorenza Fruci. Among the most active Film commissions (there is great competition at the moment also for the economic induced it produces, which even more so in times of crisis is fundamental) in this period certainly Campania, set of Gomorra, Mina Settembre, The Commissioner Ricciardi, by Paolo Sorrentino with The hand of God, History of those who flee and those who remain by Daniele Luchetti sequel of the Brilliant Friend, Salemme with With all my heart but not only. 40 productions and the free test, the only region in Italy for the film commission chaired by Titta Fiore: among the planned sets La Peste by Francesco Patierno from the masterpiece by Albert Camus, adaptation in a Naples of today, at the time of the pandemic and in April Non ti pago, directed by Edoardo De Angelis and Sergio Castellitto as protagonist. There are 18 active sets in Puglia (the Apulia Film Commission chaired by historically active Simonetta Dellomonaco): after the Rai Fiction series Lolita Lobosco by Luca Miniero with Luisa Ranieri, Cinzia Th Torrini is making Up to the Last Beat and the series are about to start Malacarne by Stefano Reali and Destini in flames by Monica Vullo. Then again Piedmont where in these days there are 4 new productions including the series Astrological guide for broken hearts, while in Liguria, in the words of the president of the film commission Cristina Bolla, "it was the best year ever" with 211 productions surveyed in every field, including two great series such as 'Petra' and the next 'Blanca' for Rai. Finally, eight sets are now open in Trentino.