Which films are supported by the Turin Piedmont Film Commission

An important presence that certainly does not go unnoticed in this seventeenth edition of the Rome Film Festival is that of the Piedmont Film Commission of Turin. The foundation is indeed bringing to the event organized in the capital the collaboration of four films between films and documentaries, all highly anticipated titles. As for feature films, we find Rapiniamo il Duce by Renato De Maria and Man on the Road by Gianluca Mangiasciutti; to complete it all, the two documentaries Umberto Eco – The Library of the World by Davide Ferrario and Amate Sponde by Egidio Eronico.

For 22 long years, the Turin Piedmont Film Commission has had as its main objective the support and promotion of the Piedmont region, in particular the city of Turin. Both as a place from a territorial point of view and as a place of excellence for film and television production. Its organization aims in fact to provide complete assistance to all productions that intend to carry out their project in the Piedmont region. And on the occasion of the preview presentation of the titles contributed by the foundation at the Rome Film Festival, the VelvetMAG editorial team had the pleasure of meeting two leaders of the Turin Piedmont Film Commission: the president Beatrice Borgia and director Paolo Manera.

Can we say with certainty that with 4 documentaries and feature films Turin has somewhat conquered Rome in this 17th edition?

Paolo Manera: “We are very happy that there is a strong presence of the titles supported by Film Commission Torino Piemonte in this very important event. We have titles that are representative of many different aspects of our work. There is certainly an important dimension linked to the world of documentaries. Both with that of Davide Ferrario on Umberto Eco who was born in Alessandria, Piedmont, but is an intellectual of international importance. The documentary dedicated to the life of the author, his library, the sense of culture and history is a project of which we are very proud.

As well as Amate Sponde by Egidio Eronico which is a project that involved us with a Piedmontese production house. It’s a journey, a story of Italy through images and music that started from our documentary support fund and has involved many other regions. We are also very curious to see what is the first presentation to be followed by others in Italy and abroad.

Then there is The Man on the Road which is a psychological thriller by Gianluca Mangiasciutti and which is entirely shot in our territory. A work that sees an important and young cast both composed among others by Lorenzo Richelmy and Aurora Giovinazzo. In addition, the collaboration with Eagle Pictures has been renewed, which has shot a whole series of films here, starting with the trilogy Sul più bello”.

Béatrice Borgia: “And then there’s Rapiniamo il Duce who only shot a few sequences with us. In these, however, certain parts of Turin were very recognizable, notably the Lux cinema which in the film becomes Dux located in the San Federico gallery in the center. Once again, therefore, our territory lends itself to being a scenography and a place of work. I am very happy to attend the preview of Rapiniamo il Duce because it is perhaps the first film in which I participate, managing to make a visit to the set. So far, since I became president, we have presented projects that were born before my arrival”.

PM: “It was the first visit to the set in the San Federico gallery with Pietro Castellitto, the producer Angelo Barbagallo and a whole series of actors and extras with a very good scenographic commitment”.

BB: “We come from a season with Cannes, Venice, Rome, Locarno which sees us absolutely present with many titles, so we are very happy. International festivals regularly become the occasion for a preview of projects born on our territory supported by the Film Commission”.

PM: “in addition to being also a time when a series of Piedmontese authors and producers are there to follow the activities, the industry days at the MIA (International Audiovisual Market) so there is a delegation very important Piedmontese”.

Rapiniamo il Duce is a highly anticipated title for the cast and director. What role does Turin play, if only in certain scenes?

BB: “There are scenes that make the center of Turin very recognizable – as the Lux cinema said – in a role that is not predominant, but certainly that makes it very recognizable”.

PM: “So there are also other scenes in which they re-enacted certain moments of the Second World War. For a few days, the center of Turin became a bit of a time machine. Organizing and hosting these productions allows the city to lend its architectural beauties to the work of the scenographers, becoming in a way a large open-air theatre”.

Is the documentary on Umberto Eco a tribute from Turin to the intellectual and not just to all of Italian culture?

PM: “Yes, absolutely. To Italian culture and also to Piedmontese culture. In addition to being born in Alessandria, Umberto Eco carried out the first part of his training activity in Turin. And then from there with his work he has become the symbol of a great and tireless researcher all over the world.An intellectual who, in addition to being very rigorous, knows perfectly the mechanisms of popular culture: from comics to all forms of expression. Thus this documentary describes his library as a place of conservation, but also of generation of contents, an incessant laboratory. It is precisely the global intellectual more than ever who crosses times and places”.

As president of the Turin Piedmont Film Commission, can you tell us what is attractive in your territory for cinema and television?

BB: “I can say that almost a year after the presidency, it took me some time to put all the elements together and now I have a fairly clear picture of what makes Turin and Piedmont unique. We are second – after Lazio – in terms of the number of shots that take place in the territory. We have been more successful than other jurisdictions in intercepting the nationwide production boom. We have put in place a mix of workers, an extremely ready and qualified supply chain in the field, able to support even extremely complex projects such as Fast And Furious. We have also received from the institutions – which over the years have become very flexible – the necessary support and also this dialogue both at municipal and regional level capable of rationalizing all the administrative part”.

What are the most popular locations?

BB: “We launched an Everything but the sea campaign to show how Piedmont is very eclectic from this point of view. Turin, but not only Piedmont in the broad sense. There are medieval towns, lakes, mountains, we also have Turin with a whole series of very interesting architectural aspects that can span different eras. From a scenographic point of view, it lends itself to different needs, which certainly makes it an open-air sound stage. The Turin Piedmont Film Commission is also one of the advantages of filming in Turin: it presents itself as the only interlocutor who manages all this complex network of contacts with institutions, with local professionals, with major national producers and international, making everything very easy”.

What does the Turin Piedmont Film Commission offer?

In addition to our headquarters, we have 10,000 square meters available as reception space for large productions. We currently have 9 productions running and they are all hosted by us. We form office spaces, movie theaters, casting rooms, costumer places, sets. When they come to us, they feel at home.

PM: “In addition to individual professionals, a network of numerous companies is being created which provide service, restoration, post-production and special effects. The supply chain is increasingly becoming a system and not afraid to turn its ambitions internationally, as happened with the aforementioned and well-known American production of Fast And Furious, or The King’s Man; but also the Swedes and the Germans have found people capable of working with a methodology, flexibility and professionalism fully in line with international standards. We are proud of this and we want to strengthen our perspective and our international reputation in the future. As well with the neighbours: French, Swiss, German, as with other major productions. Added to this is the consideration received by young authors. Be careful to ensure that there is a kind of real school where you can work with a lot of harmony and efficiency”.

You mentioned 9 ongoing productions in which the Turin Piedmont Film Commission is involved. Can we have some anticipation?

BB: “Of course we are proud of the quantity and quality, proof of the moment of great recovery and dynamism”.

PM: “There are a lot of television series. Some already in the second season like Hearts by Riccardo Donna, Il Re with Luca Zingaretti and then other films. These days is in progress La bella estate, a film based on a novel by Cesare Pavese with a very strong young international cast. Coming soon is Eine Trillion Dollars, a very important series which will be shot by us and we are working on other American productions. And other television series and films that will hit the screens, soon this winter there will be General Dalla Chiesa with Sergio Castellitto.

BB and PM: “Soon we will have a lot of material to give you! “.