Italy's Senate Unanimously Passes a Sweeping New Cinema Law
Summary
The reform creates an autonomous film agency and gives the government two years to rewrite tax credits and grants.
"Italy's Senate gave final approval to a broad reform of the country's film and audiovisual law in a unanimous 123-0 vote, passing the Chamber of Deputies' text without changes, Italian trade outlet Box Office reported. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called it ""a historic result for Italian culture,"" and Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni said implementing decrees would be drafted ""as quickly as possible."" Screen International also reported the passage, highlighting measures aimed at attracting international shoots.
The law creates an Agency for Cinema and Audiovisual with its own financial and management autonomy to take over the operational work of the Culture Ministry's film directorate. Box Office said the agency must be running by January 1, 2028, while the MIA market's summary put the handover in 2029; the exact start date should be checked against the final text. The government has two years to issue decrees on tax incentives and grants, including three-year programming, firm payment deadlines, at least two funding windows a year and a dedicated tax-credit manager. MIA reported funding of €70 million this year and €150 million in 2027.
The law also sets support criteria for independent producers, first and second features, young filmmakers and smaller companies, and covers cinema renovation, piracy and AI. A coalition of Italian screenwriters' and directors' groups, including the Writers Guild Italia, remained critical, questioning how independent the new agency will really be."
