Locations and financial instruments for producers in

Rome and LazioFILAS & Rome&Lazio Film

CommissionAMF Country ShowcaseSingapore, 29/11/2007

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Introducing Lazio RegionLazio: Capital Region and Cinema Region

Lazio history and territory are strictly connected with cinema.

Tradition and High level capabilities Technicians, cinema personnel and famous director like Fellini and Antonioni have left a heritage of successes and masterpieces of cinema and a precious knowledge, that

nowadays includes the most advanced technology.Locations

You’ll find in Lazio a great choice of historical buildings till up contemporary structures and greatest variety of natural settings

Climate A mild and varied climate offers colours and lights for all set design, making possible

shootings in every season.

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Lazio with Rome the Capital and 4

provinces

with different landscape and

atmosphere

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LocationsFilming in Lazio implies having access to an incredible variety of sceneries, from snow-

capped mountains to charming islands in turquoise waters

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wonderful villages on the sea, enchanting lakes and fascinating sand dunes.

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Filming in Lazio means choosing amongst locations suitable for any plot, in a landscape with over 3.000 years of archaeological and cultural heritage,

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for example precious Renaissance villas

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and above all, Rome one of the most famous capitals in the world

which has always been the cosmopolitan centre for arts, culture, creativity

and “dolce vita”

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The film industry in Lazio is among the oldest in the world (first studios set up in 1937) and is renowned for its creativity, skills and high-level resources.This makes Lazio region a natural destination for international coproductions thanks to:

Italian talent • Award winning key creative personnel

• Technicians and production personnel experienced with international productions

• World-class skill services• A fantastic range of locations

Locations

Services and facilities

Technical craft skills

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Film industry history in Lazio

“I have always felt that Cinecittà has a special magic because of all the great films that have been made there. For many years that I had been thinking about Gangs of New York, I always imagined it would be created with an aspect of the Italian artistry that I saw and experienced in Italian films when I was growing up”

Martin Scorsese

Main directors have chosen Rome and Lazio:

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Giulietta Masina, Federico Fellini& Oscar

Roman Holiday - 1953 - W. Wyler, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck.

La Ciociara - 1960 - V. De SicaSofia Loren, Jean Paul Belmondo

Probalbly Scorsese was thinking about one of these masterpieces shot in Lazio

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For a fistfull of dollars – 1964 – S. LeoneClint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè

Spaghetti Western

Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone

or one of Morricone’s soundtracks

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before shooting Gangs of New York in Cinecittà studios in Rome

Gangs of NY – 2002 - Cinecittà Studios -

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80% of Italian audio-visual productions are carried out in Lazio region, where the largest sector enterprises are located, covering the whole value-chain, and providing

services from pre- to post-production.

Lazio Region Audiovisual Industry

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NEW FINANCIAL TOOLSVAT recovery and Venture Capital Fund

FILAS manages VAT and Venture Capital funds.

Lazio Region, through FILAS (its financial development agency), has devised the project F.I.L.M.S. (Filming In Lazio Makes Sense) to:

• re-launch the Lazio audiovisual industry and its reference market

• develop and support film and audiovisual co-production at local and international levels

• create new audiovisual financial instruments:

1. early VAT recovery for foreign producers

a fund providing assistance and support on VAT issues to foreign producers operating in Lazio.

2. Venture Capital Fund for co-production operations

a fund aimed at developing co-productions between Lazio- based and foreign producers

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VAT recovery

The 2006 Finance Act of the Regione Lazio has set up a Fund aimed at assisting foreign filmmakers recover their VAT credits.

If you are a non-resident filmmaker without a permanent establishment in Italy and wish to film in Lazio, Regione Lazio can offer you, through FILAS, the opportunity of advance reimbursement of accrued VAT credits.

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Co-investment scheme

The aim of the FILMS Co-Investment Scheme (FCS) is to support the production of "Made in Lazio" feature films and to facilitate collaboration between Lazio film producers and producers in Europe and beyond.

It is part of the FILAS's Filming in Lazio Makes Sense (FILMS) programme.

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Eligibility

• All Lazio-based filmmakers and film companies are welcome to apply

• Film companies should have at least an operative office in Lazio

• Projects submitted must be intended for public commercial release

• Productions companies must be SME - according to EU definition (less than 250 employees; independent; less than € 50 mln sales/€ 40 mln total activities)

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Key evaluation criteria• Strength of technical and artistic cast;• Potential for territorial promotion of the Lazio region• Potential for critical acclaim;• Potential for commercial success;• Track record of filmmaker/company and his/her/its

growth potential;• Track record of the foreign co-producer(s), if applicable• Extent of financial share by applicant(s); • Extent of budget spent in Lazio;• Extent of Lazio manpower and skills involved in the

project.

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Co-production aspects

• Co-production with parties originated in the Capital Regions for Cinema (CRC) network (namely, at the time, Ile-de France, Berlin Brandenburg and the Madrid region) is considered an added value;

• Co-production with parties originated in countries having signed a MoU with FILAS/Regione Lazio (namely, at the time, Singapore and India) is considered an added value;

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Financial conditions

• The project must spend in Lazio at least 50% of the under the line (i.e. excluding cast and director costs) budget (or at least 30% of the Italian budget in case of international co-production)

• The fund will provide a financing of up to 50% of the production budget spent in Lazio region

• There is a minimum limit of 200,000 € and a maximum limit of 600,000 K € per application

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Some background about the fund

• born as a specialisation of a VC regional fund established in 2001

• opened to AV financing in a pilot phase in Sept. 2006• 33 requests in one year for a global financial request in

excess of 16 M €• avg 400K €, min 50K € max 1.5M €• remarkable “scouting” phase (avg requests for all

other sectors is 22 p/y)

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End of pilot phase and next steps

At the end of the pilot phase:5 projects approved for an investment in excess of 2 M €

Plafond to be reserved to AV fund is between 5 and 7M €

3 subcategories: movies, AV works, experimental works

CAVEAT: it is investment NOT subsidy !

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Italian delegationcoordinators:

Carlo Donzella FILAS donzella@filas.itCristina Priarone Rome&Lazio FC

priarone@romalaziofilmcommission.it

producers:Matteo Morozzo Roma FilmMax Cosenza Mondo CinemaRoberto Bessi Buskin FilmAgnese Fontana Ager TreAlberto Pasquale Bess Movie