• The first step to start a co-production with Italy is to check whether your co-production falls within the CO-production Agreements entered into by Italy and many countries or within the Council of Europe Convention on Cinematic Co-productions.
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• The next step is for the Italian co-producer to start the procedure to have the co-production recognized by DGCA. This procedure is part and parcel of the process for recognizing the Italian nationality.

• Even without agreements among countries, it is still possible to obtain recognition of Italian nationality through the procedure called “international partnership”, if the Italian share is at least 20%.
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• A movie for which co-production is recognized, can obtain Italian nationality and is therefore eligible for financial supports provided for by the Italian legislation on films (law 220/2016). For some kind of public supports movies that are realized under co-production get additional scores.

• Co-produced works can participate in several supranational programs Italy is part of and in national calls exclusively for them, namely:

1. Eurimages – coproductions among member countries (cinema)
2. Ibermedia – co-development and co-productions among member countries (cinema and audiovisual)
3. Media – cinema and audiovisual among member countries
4. Bilateral co-development funds (cinema)
5. Bilateral co-development and co-production funds (Italy-France) – cinema and audiovisual.

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The types of supports for Italian producers of eligible works can be divided as follows:

Selective contributions

• Grants for development and pre-production and for the production of feature films, television and web works. The selection of projects is made by experts on the basis of a qualitative evaluation.
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Automatic contributions

• Contributions to be reinvested for the development, production, national and international distribution, for home entertainment distribution of feature films, TV works and web. The support can be obtained on the basis of objective parameters which measure the artistic, economic and cultural results obtained by the companies in the previous years thanks to the movies produced and distributed. The value of the results is automatically assigned through a scoring system. The contribution must be reinvested in new works within 5 years from when it was granted;
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Tax Credit

• Offsetting of companies’ tax liabilities, automatically calculated on the basis of costs incurred in for the development, production, national and international distribution of feature films, TV and web works.

• The share for the production of films is 40% of the eligible costs while it ranges between 30% and 40% for the other audiovisual works.
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Selective contributions to feature films which are made as minority co-production/international partnership (MiC Call for Proposals)
Contributions to feature films made as international co-production/partnership where the Italian company has a minority share compared to the one of the foreign producer. The available financial resources are divided into two sessions of 2,500,000 Euros each. The maximum allocation per project is 300,000 Euros.

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To be eligible for the contributions to the production stage, the Italian co-producer must start the procedure for the recognition of Italian nationality at least one day before the beginning of the shooting.

Since 2019 there is a call specifically dedicated to minority co-productions with a budget of 5 million Euros and structured in two annual calls. The maximum allocation is calculated on 60% of eligible costs (maximum 300,000 Euros per project) 80% of which must be spent in Italy. In this case, to have access to the call, it is necessary to have already obtained the recognition of Italian nationality.

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In the Decrees implementing the law no. 220/2016 on cinema and audiovisual works, specific incentives are introduced in Italy for the first time for internationally co-produced works. In some support schemes co-produced works achieve additional rewards:

• In Selective contributions for the production of feature films, animation works and documentaries  works which are either co-produced, or made through international production/partnerships are granted extra scores in addition to the points assigned by the commission of experts,

• In Automatic contributions works in international co-production, co-partnership or production get additional scores,

• In tax credit:

1. In case of co-produced works the eligible cost is based on the share of participation of the Italian company. Only the amount equivalent to the credit must be spent in Italy. In the event that the Italian company, as executive producer, incurs in expenses in Italy in excess of its share, such expenses are included in the eligible cost.
   
   
2. In the case of internationally co-produced television or web works, the maximum rate envisaged for the audiovisual tax credit is always applied.
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To access the contributions for the development stage, the procedure for the recognition of Italian nationality must not have been started.

There are several support lines in place:

• Co-development calls (only for feature films):

1. Italy-France
2. Italy-Portugal
3. Italy-Tunisia
4. Italy-Baltic Countries
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• Tax credit for development (for movies and audiovisual works).

• 30% calculated on the basis of expenses for development (maximum amount 300,000 Euros per company).
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• Selective contributions for development and pre-production (cinema, tv, web)

• Grants for a maximum amount of 100.000 Euros.
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In the experts’ evaluation is taken into account the objective of encouraging the implementation of works in co-production.

Fondi Internazionalizzazione – Funds for movie producers, coproduction markets and training (cinema).

Contribution to Italian independent movie producers for the participation in the main co-production markets and work in progress with Italian projects or project with an Italian majority share or for attending education and training courses, workshops and labs for the development of feature films.

Supports to participate in Co-production markets and work-in-progress :

max 1,500 Euros for European Market:

max 2,500 Euros for non European Market

80% of incurred costs covered

Cumulative contributions for different events up to 5000 Euros per project.

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Movies produced by foreign production companies without Italian nationality can access tax credit for foreign works (cinema, tv, web).

The share is 40% of expenses incurred in Italy. The credit is requested by the Italian executive producer who then turns it over to the foreign production company as a reduction of the expenses incurred.

You can find everything on www.italyformovies.it

Film Distribution Fund – Fund aimed at co-financing P&A expenses, incurred in by foreign independent distributors for the theatrical release of recent Italian movies on the foreign distribution territory. Maximum allocation is 30,000 Euros per title/Country. Three yearly sessions are provided for 400,000 Euros each. The contribution is paid directly to the foreign distributor it has been allocated to. As of 2020 the fund is active all over the world  and comes also before the support to the film Vod release, in case the theatrical release is temporarily impossible because of the Covid pandemic.

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• Fund for international sales companies

• Intended for privately-held Italian companies dealing with foreign sales

• Fund for international sales companies – Financial support for Italian companies selling international rights for the promotion of recent Italian films at their market premiere and at the main international markets such as EFM in Berlin, Marché du Film in Cannes , VPB in Venice, TIFF in Toronto, MIA Market in Rome and AFM in Los Angeles. The fund covers up to 80% of the expenses incurred in and up to 4 titles, with a maximum of 30,000 Euros per market/company.

• Tax credit for international distribution (cinema, tv, web)
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Fund for film producers for promotion in international festivals
The fund is intended for Italian independent film producers to participate with selected feature films in the main international festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, IDFA and to participate in other festival following the international premiere. The contribution guarantees the coverage of expenses incurred in up to 80% of eligible costs, with upper limits diversified according to the different events and it is destined to films produced by Italian companies mainly for theatrical exploitation.

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Fund for audiovisual producers for the international promotion of movies to participate in festivals, markets and coproduction events.

Fund intended for Italian independent producers of audiovisual movies, the production of which is either full Italian or mostly Italian, for participation in Festivals with selected feature films and for participation in markets and coproduction events with selected projects. The contribution guarantees the coverage of expenses incurred in up to 80% of eligible costs, with upper limits which are different according to the different events.

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Fund ICE Agenzia – Italian Trade Agency

Ice Agenzia (Italian Trade Agency) supports the presence of Italian companies in the main international audiovisual markets by setting up stands and meeting spaces, promoting networking events in agreement with the proposing trade associations.

Missioni di sistema

For Italian producers participating in the “missioni di sistema”, institutional trips or scouting activities in foreign markets a flat participation fee is provided for, decided each time by the proposing Body to partly pay travel expenses.

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