The Marches take center stage today at the Italian Pavilion during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with the presence of the Marche Culture Foundation – Marche Film Commission in a space dedicated to the confrontation and exchange of ideas and future projects in the cultural and cinematographic fields.
Together with the president of the Marche Cultura Foundation, Andrea Agostini, and the head of the Marche Film Commission, Francesco Gesualdi, the speeches were given by Laura Delli Colli, president of the Italian National Union of Film Journalists – Silver Ribbon Awards , who moderated the meeting, Cristina Priarone. , president of the Italian Film Commissions and director of the Roma Lazio Film Commission, Roberto Stabile, internationalization manager at ANICA and Marco Müller, artistic producer and former director of the Venice International Film Festival.
In the room were present, among others, Nicola Borrelli Director General of Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture, Francesco Rutelli President of ANICA and Concita De Gregorio Director of The Hollywood Reporter Rome.
Andrea Agostini brought the greetings of the President of the Marche Region, Francesco Acquaroli, who with the new campaign “Discover the Marches” wants to launch and make the Marche known beyond its borders.
“Nothing like cinema and audiovisuals -he added- can convey the beauty of a territory and its own characteristics, in the case of the Marches also the know-how and industriousness of its people”.
Francesco Gesualdi spoke of the renewed regional drive towards the film tourism sector and the fund of 16 million euros for international and national audiovisual productions that the Marche Region has made available to host projects that can improve our region.
“We will also work hard to make the territory and small productions grow -explains Gesualdi- we will train the producers but also the local workers.
It is also necessary to stimulate the discovery of illustrious characters from the Marches, such as the heroic Pasquale Rotondi, to honor their memory and the entire history of the area.”
Cristina Priarone relaunched the availability of Italian film commissions to collaborate as an Italian support system for audiovisual productions with a view to greater attraction for the international market. “Thanks to the partner approach – says Priarone – the promotion of each specificity acquires a broader force when it is done in collaboration”
The guest of honor at the meeting was Marco Müller, an artistic producer currently based in China, who for many years directed the Venice International Film Festival and the Rome Film Fest.
“Since I have been living and working in Shanghai for years – says Müller – I represent China here because I am the director of the Research Center for Film Art at Shanghai University.
“The Marches have a relationship with Chinese cinema in their DNA – continues Müller – also thanks to the Pesaro International Film Festival, which was the largest publication center on oriental cinema in the 1980s.”
Müller has created, in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Elda Ferri’s Jean Vigo, a new Italian-Chinese co-production that will take place in Shanghai, Rome and largely in the Marche region.
The movie titled “A Good For Nothing – The Smiling Fox”, is a Shanghainese comedy set in the 1990s; Filming is scheduled to begin in China in October 2023, while filming in Italy will take place in spring 2024.
Following inspections recently carried out in Italy with the collaboration of the Marche Film Commission in the areas of Ancona, Fermo (Montegranaro and Monte Urano), Loreto, Numana, Marcelli, Porto Recanati, the director enthusiastically confirmed his choice to shoot in that region.
“An Italian-Chinese co-production in the Marches – says Agostini – means business relationships with prospects and opportunities in the name of internationalization by presenting the Marches to China and the world. In fact, “cinema is a visiting card of our nation” . , says the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, during the presentation ceremony of the candidates for the “David di Donatello” awards at the Quirinale, and in a low voice I add “extraordinary” The audiovisual shows the land and its protagonists, tells stories of places and men, generates interest, falls in love.Cinema brings tourism and by doing so, being a company, it thrives on professionalism, therefore training and developing skills and relationships.Value in each market, transmitting our culture, our values What other calling card can do so much? We salute and support this new direction in our storytelling with deep appreciation.”
“We welcome this Italian-Chinese collaboration – adds Francesco Gesualdi – which will host in our territory a film of great importance directed and starred by Yu Ailei, a prominent figure in the world of Chinese entertainment who has many films to his credit. presented in competition at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals. Our objective is to open up to international co-productions, as well as support national productions, to promote our territory and our culture”.
