Pope Leo XIV Appeals to Save Cinema

TORONTO – The Italian film industry is never short on drama, whether speaking of its produced content or its political hullabaloo. Large sturdy soap boxes may no longer exist on its street corners, but preachy and passionate opinions remain in healthy circulation. Even Pope Leo XIV recently joined the flagging in front of 160 Film Representatives at the Apostolic Palace.

Speaking on the “crisis” of cinema: “Movie theaters are experiencing a worrying erosion that is stripping them away from cities and neighborhoods. “The art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger”. The Supreme Pontiff is only echoing what many in Italy’s film sector are contending. That “Italy’s tax incentives are not competitive”, “Indie cinema is at the risk of extinction”, and that “Italian Cinema is at a standstill”.
This frequent consternation, however, seems at odds with the facts. For starters, Italy has one of the three best tax credit programs in Europe (along with Spain and Greece). Only the Canary Islands in Spain offers a higher rebate than Italy’s 40%. For a North American comparison, California and Canada’s rates hover around 35%.

What about Italy’s barriers to funding? An initial plan in July of 2024 proposed that Italian film producers would need a distribution deal in place [before production] in order to qualify for a rebate. It was an untenable condition that would have indiscriminately shut the door on most independent projects. To the Ministry’s credit, that was scrapped. Distributors are even offered a tax credit of 15% to 40% on their overall distribution costs.

Another grievance is the “culture test”. The so called “strict conditions” Italy’s Ministry of Culture “imposed” onto filmmakers was to highlight Italian characters and narratives – in order to qualify for the full 40% rebate.

Still, a 30% rebate is available for productions that don’t hire Italians or incorporate Italian content. The cultural requirement is not so much a constraint as it is a reward. For hiring Italians.

What about theatre-going in Italy? Is there a slight decline in average frequency – yes. From 3 tickets annually (2023) to 2.3 (2024).

But key findings from the market research agency, Ergo Research, tracked a growth in overall audience numbers in 2024, with approximately 20 million Italians aged 15 and above attending at least one screening in 2023, rising to 21.5 million in 2024 — a gain of 1.4 million. Trending upwards.

By comparison with its competitors, Italy has a strong commitment to its film industry, accentuated by its regional engagement through numerous film commissions grants. Why then are many Italians sounding the alarms? Perhaps the current backlog of applications has put everyone on edge.

Or maybe some Italians are still caught up in the myth that challenges don’t exist outside of Italy.

Photos: Vatican Media