DG Cinema and Audiovisual DGCA

The Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual (DG Cinema and Audiovisual – DGCA) is one of the General Directorates that operate within the Ministry of Culture (MiC) and is divided into three executive offices:

  • Service I – Organization and operation – Observatory of the Entertainment;
  • Service II – Cinema and Audiovisual;
  • Service III Tax incentives – tax credit – supervision.

 

DGCA – MiC represents Italy in the audiovisual sector at the European Union, at the Council of Europe, and at international organizations.

DGCA – MiC supports the creation, production, distribution and circulation of films and audiovisual works, cinema, theatres and technical industries and professional training and media education, commissioning studies and analysis on the film and audiovisual sector. It represents Italy at the EU and other international institutions.

DGCA – MiC manages the Fund for the development of investments in the film and audiovisual industry with a minimum annual budget of € 750 million, regularly divided into allocations for specific sub-sectors.

The financial support system offers three mechanisms of intervention:

  • Tax credits: offsetting corporate tax liabilities, tax credits are calculated automatically on the basis of the costs incurred in during the development, production and national/international distribution of feature-length and animated films, documentaries and series intended for theatres, TV and streaming platforms, plus video games; the opening or renovation of cinemas; the screening of films in cinemas; and technical industries.

  • Automatic support: non-repayable grants are awarded for the development, production, national/international theatrical distribution and home entertainment distribution of films and series. Companies have a limited timeframe in which to use the funding, which is granted on the basis of objective parameters measuring the artistic, economic and cultural impact of the works produced or distributed in previous years. The impact value is measured on a points-based system.

  • Selective support: non-repayable grants are awarded for the writing, development, production and national/international distribution of audiovisual works; for the support of cinema theatres; and for the promotion of film and audiovisual works in general. Projects are selected by experts on the basis of qualitative criteria. Funding is offered primarily for films and, more specifically, certain categories of films (films by young writers, films of high artistic value, ‘difficult films’, short films, animated films, and documentaries).

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-ITALIAN OPERATORS

Development and production support for films, TV works and web products is for works of Italian nationality, including international co-productions. Italian majority, parity and minority co-productions are all given equal access to funding. Applications for funding must be submitted by the Italian co-producer.

Regardless of the type of funding granted, there are various benefits and bonuses available for international co-productions, diversified according to individual schemes.

DGCA – MiC also provides ad hoc funds for international co-productions. The selective scheme for Italian minority co-productions has an annual budget of € 5 million, split into two calls. In addition, bilateral co-development and co-production funds have been established by DGCA – MiC with corresponding institutions in other countries to foster production partnerships in other target markets.

Italian co-productions are also eligible for funding from Eurimages, Europe Creative Media and Ibermedia.

DGCA – MiC also provides a support scheme exclusively for works that are not of Italian nationality but are shot for at least one day in Italy. This is the tax credit scheme for foreign works. Applications must be submitted by the Italian line producer working under commission of a foreign producer.