Industry

Building on the MoU signed in 2022, the British Film Commission and Italian Film Commissions have joined forces under a new Memorandum of Understanding, with the aim of “recognising and enhancing the collaboration between the UK and Italian screen industries”, as well as incentivising and promoting inward investment film and high-end TV production across the two territories.

The core objectives of the partnership remain to facilitate co-productions, as well as to collaborate on the national and international promotion of Italy and UK’s respective industries. Through joint marketing activities, the agreement will also see both parties mutually promote their strengths and specialisms in a complementary manner.

A core feature of this agreement is the support provided by Cinecittà’s International Department in organising outbound missions for Italian producers.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Jacopo Chessa, president of the Italian Film Commissions Association, and Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission.

Wootton said: “We are thrilled to build upon our excellent relationship with the Italian Film Commissions through this collaboration agreement. Since signing an MoU in 2022, we’ve held networking events for producers from both territories at markets and festivals, including a producers’ breakfast in Cannes. Strong collaborative industry relationships with European partners, such as the one between the UK and Italy, are key to our shared success, particularly in light of the UK’s enhanced tax reliefs and Italy’s Sistema Italia, funds and incentives. There are already some brilliant examples of collaboration with high-profile productions being filmed between Italy and the UK, including 'Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning', 'Fast X' and the Oscar-winning 'Conclave'. This new enhanced agreement will see further collaboration in the years ahead, exploring new ways of working together, creatively and commercially.”

Chessa added: “We’re happy to renew our partnership with the British Film Commission, now strengthened by the addition of the International Department – Cinecittà. In addition to opening up co-production opportunities, this agreement is a first step toward systematically promoting Italian regions as international filming locations."

Inward investment film and high-end TV production in both the UK and Italy reportedly continues to thrive. In the UK, the UK spend generated by inward investment film and HETV production during 2024 reached £4.7 billion.