Italy

Italy’s rich history, abundant locations and skilled crews have long attracted productions to the country. In recent years, though, the number of international shoots has accelerated, thanks to the Italian government increasing its audiovisual tax credits from 30% to a competitive 40% following the pandemic. 

Among projects filming in the country through 2025 are Angelina Jolie’s Without Blood, starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demian Bichir, for which locations in the Apulia region double for South America. 

Christopher Nolan has set down with The Odyssey, his ambitious adaptation of Homer’s classic poem. The production turned the picturesque island of Favignana, off the coast of Sicily, into a full-scale Hollywood set, home to a cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and Robert Pattinson. Guy Ritchie is also set to shoot key elements of The Gentlemen season two in Italy.

Other recent productions to shoot in Italy include Oscar winner The Brutalist, which filmed scenes in the town of Carrara and its famous marble quarries, and Netflix’s lavish adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, which was based in Sicily.

Last year, the government announced major changes to its film and TV tax credit system after a long period of uncertainty that had left many productions in limbo. In the end, it maintained the headline 40% relief for international shoots spending least $267,500 (€250,000) in Italy; the rate reduces to 30% for specific above-the-line costs relating to non-European entities. The tax credit has a maximum annual limit, per company, of $21.4m (€20m), and must be allocated through an Italian executive producer. There is no maximum limit per work. The overall budget for the tax credit is $428m (€400m) annually.

Some of the key changes are around the use of AI. Costs incurred in Italy relating to the use of AI are ineligible, except for those attributable to special effects. Productions are obliged to reveal if AI has been used on work carried out in the territory. Other changes include the scrapping of the requirement to include at least one day of filming in Italy, something that had been petitioned for by post-production companies.

In addition to the tax credit, the government has introduced new selective funding opportunities for films (including co-productions) that promote Italy’s “national culture and identity”.

Most Italian regions also have funds dedicated to film production, which total $74.9m (€70m) per year. The Leopard received $1.1m (€1m) backing from Sicilia Film Commission and could also access Italy’s 40% tax credit. Filmed on location throughout Sicily, including Palermo, Syracuse and Catania, the series is an Italy-UK co-production through Italy’s Indiana Production and the UK’s Moonage Pictures, with a UK lead director and creator alongside Italian heads of department. Most of the production team was Italian.

Producer Will Gould of Moonage Pictures pays tribute to partner Indiana for helping to assemble the production team, which reached 400 at its peak. “Indiana was amazing in getting that team together, to be able to pull off something at scale that looks so good and feels so authentic.” His main piece of advice when working in Italy is to “find partners you love working with, who you respect and trust. It is priceless in this business.”

An Italian partner is also important for accessing the tax credit. “It is something we are used to and works well,” says producer Alessandro Mascheroni of Indiana, who notes it can take around 12 months to receive the tax credit back. 

Among the challenges of making the show were blocking off Palermo city centre at the height of summer, which was done with the support of the city’s mayor. “We became like a tourist attraction ourselves,” says Mascheroni.

First Contact: Tina Bianchi, Italian Film Commissions @ info@italianfilmcommissions.it

Italy has many wonderful locations to fulfil any kind of request. There’s everything from the spectacular Amalfi coast to the beautiful historic cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, and from the striking snowy Alps to the Tuscan hill towns.

With these wonderful locations, many productions choose to shoot Italy as itself, but it can also easily double for other countries. The south can double for Greece, while Rome and Milan can be shot for Paris and New York, Naples and Matera for Jerusalem, and there are desert settings in the quarries around Rome.

It is important to note, however, that procedures and regulations vary from one city and province to another, so it is best to get in touch with them seven to 10 days ahead of the shoot.

Local know-how is paramount for productions and some locations, such as Vatican City and Rome’s Roman Forum, are near-impossible to film. But local production companies can advise on affordable and accessible alternatives. 

Italy has a reputation for being an expensive place to film but producers report costs are often competitive with Spain. Indeed, the many regional film commissions from Turin to Sicily are all keen to host international crews and boost investment after what has been a difficult few months with the pandemic. 

Italy has numerous international production services and crew providers to help with authorisation requests and permit provisions through to full-scale production, filming and location services. 

Rome’s Cinecitta Studios is one Europe’s leading complexes. 

Italy stretches for more than 1,100 kilometres from the northern Swiss border to the southern Mediterranean coast, encompassing an area that exceeds 300,000 square kilometres. Its extensive coastline spans 7,600 kilometres, with a wide array of adaptable landscapes. 

The nation is home to two sovereign entities within its borders — the Republic of San Marino and Vatican City — and boasts swift travel and transportation services, facilitated by a highly effective rail system that connects the northern and southern regions.

Italy is a member of the EU and is part of the Schengen Agreement. Its currency is the euro.