International Films Flock to Italy
TORONTO – Following a year of uncertainty which included a murder case, revolving around Italy’s Film Tax Credit Program, the country’s movie industry appears to be rolling again. When Meloni’s Ministry of Culture first announced amendments to the tax rebate programs for audio visual projects (in 2023), part of the initiative was to curb the abuse of the funds. “What we really want is to provide funding to people that are really working on films and to really promote the audiovisual industry”, said deputy culture minister Lucia Borgonzoni.
At the time, many in the industry were skeptical, convinced that Meloni’s government was hellbent on reducing funds and increasing government control over media projects. While the program was suspended during the reform process, there was speculation abound about what this “far right wing” government was concocting. While Producers like Marco Manetti supported reform, for instance, he was equally concerned of “what would happen if you make a movie against the government?”.
As it turned out, Borgonzoni and Meloni’s government were acutely aware of the abuses of state funds through inflated budgets and under supported projects. A case came to light just a few months ago when U.S. citizen Francis Charles Kaufman, a self-proclaimed “movie producer” was extradited to Italy from Greece on suspicion of killing his 28-year-old Russian partner Anastasia Trofimova and their 11-month-old daughter Andromeda.
Kaufman’s bogus feature film project titled Stelle della Notte had secured a €863,595 tax credit from the Italian Ministry of Culture in 2020. The American operated under the alias Rexal Ford using a fake passport. The film was never made. While Kaufman has since denied the murder allegations, [government] reviews of his interaction with the program suggest clear evidence he may have been defrauding the Italian tax incentive program.
This was supported in part by the number of “fake” IMDb credits on his account. Under another alias “Matteo Capozzi”, he listed himself as a production assistant on Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World (2017) and Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris (2018). When Ridley Scott’s reps at Scott Free Productions checked the payroll and employee logs, there was no trace of his involvement with the production.
In a response to this misuse – and wild crime investigation – Italy’s Ministry of Culture announced the revocation of €66m in previously granted tax credits for projects that did not meet the requirements, and the rejection of €22m in new requests. Going forward, local and International Productions will need to provide ample footage from on-location shooting and full expense reports.
But with the dust now seemingly settled and with the return of large-scale International Productions in Italy like Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of the Christ, Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey and Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars, Italy is once again a top destination for Hollywood and other international productions.
CEO of Eagle Pictures Andrea Goretti: “Italy is once again an attractive destination, from where we sit. And not just because of the tax rebate. In Italy we have everything a production needs, plus stunning scenery and unique aesthetic value”.
Image of Crime Scene courtesy of Francesco Benvenuti/LaPresse/AP; image of Mel Gibson on set in Italy courtesy of Nick Cornish
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
