Great success for Italy as guest of honour at the FICG

The 38th edition of the FICG | Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara saw the spotlight shining on Italy as guest of honour. A signal of growing interest and enthusiasm for Italian cinema, within a programme full of activities and distinguished guests. These include the director, screenwriter and writer Paolo Genovese, as a member of the Festival jury and keynote speaker of a special masterclass, and the multi-award-winning editor Roberto Perpignani, focus of a meeting dedicated to him that saw the screening, in front of an international audience, of the films "La strategia del ragno" (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970), "Salto nel vuoto" (Marco Bellocchio, 1980), and "Leonora addio" (Paolo Taviani, 2022).

This occasion also saw the return of Italian Screens, the showcase that presents the best of Italian cinema abroad, born on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Cinecittà for the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture (DGCA-MiC) and the Academy of Italian Cinema - David di Donatello Awards.

On this event were presented: "Margini" (Niccolò Falsetti, 2022), "Svegliami a mezzanotte" (Francesco Patierno, 2022), "La timidezza delle chiome" (Valentina Bertani, 2022), "Le otto montagne" (Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch, 2022), "Il posto" (Mattia Colombo, Gianluca Matarrese, 2022). There was also a Gala Screening, focusing on the film "Disco Boy" (2023), in presence of the director Giacomo Abbruzzese, and a focus on Dario Argento cinema, with screenings of "Profondo rosso" (1975), "Opera" (1987), "Suspiria" (1977).

Along with the screenings, the calendar was full of appointments and panels promoted by Cinecittà for the DGCA of the MiC, which saw the participation of nine selected Italian producers (9Muse, Camaleo Films, Disparte, Fandango, Ombre Rosse, Pilgrim Films, Point Nemo, La Sarraz, Vivo Film), with the aim of providing support to projects in the development phase through direct contributions and to encourage co-productions and strategic alliances. Four Italian companies also took part in the coproduction pitching and two of them - Pilgrim Films and 9Muse respectively for the projects "Los Profetas" and "Art of Sinking" - were honored with three special prize to support post-production and equipment.

“These were very intense and stimulating days,” says Roberto Stabile, Head of Special Projects of the MiC DGCA at Cinecittà. "Italy has been protagonist and protagonist in many occasions, showing that it has a solid cinematography with an important history. It is still a country focus in festivals and markets around the world with a fresh and valuable product, with new productions devoted to international collaboration. We brought new productions devoted to international collaboration, presented five new films supported by the Film Distribution Fund as part of Italian Screens, celebrated true milestones of our cinematography such as Roberto Perpignani and established directors such as Paolo Genovese, who held two interesting masterclasses. At last, the talent of Dario Argento and the 100th anniversary of Zeffirelli's birth were celebrated. The delegation of producers was very active at the Italian Pavilion at the Market and the 3 prizes won confirm the excellent choice of company profiles involved and the value of the projects presented."

He also pointed out, "We had great support from the Mexican Embassy in Rome and its Head of Mission, Ambassador Carlos Garcia de Alba, who, after being the promoter of our presence as Invitado de Honor, accompanied and guided us step by step. Next item on the agenda: the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italy-Mexico bilateral relations in 2024."