Innovation, Sustainability and the Enhancement of Italian Film Excellence

As Cinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico looks to enhance and sustain the studio’s reputation on the global map, he and the company have benefited from the backing of Italy’s culture ministry. The state-owned studio is set to benefit from the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund and at present, investment from that fund sits at €220 million ($237 million), a recent decrease from the initial €260 million ($280 million) that was announced. This decrease is because its original plan to acquire a 76-acre plot of land next to the studios was scuppered after archaeological artifacts were discovered on part of that land.

“Cinecittà has embarked on an ambitious two-front revitalization project,” says Maccanico. “On the one hand, an industrial reform that aims to redefine in a market-oriented perspective many of the activities that have made Cinecittà one of the ‘Made-in-Italy’ excellences, recognized and appreciated worldwide.

“On the other hand, the correct use of the Recovery Plan funds aimed at building new soundstages, enhancing existing ones and investing in technological and digital innovation while embracing environmental sustainability with determination at each step of the film production chain.”

“The project is supported by European and national investments, sided by productive synergy and collaboration between institutions and market players. Thanks to this winning combination, Cinecittà is projected towards a future of greater competitiveness positioned at the forefront of the international scene, strengthening its centrality in the global market of film studios with significant economic and employment returns for the country.”

As part of the Recovery Plan, the studio is set to construct five new soundstages and will refurbish four of its existing stages which, says Maccanico, will increase Cinecittà’s production capacity by 60%. This will increase its studio space from 19,000 square feet to more than 32,000 square feet and will take its total number of soundstages to 24.

The studio will also upgrade its Tuscolana grounds with the renovation of buildings and venues meant for services, renewal and restructuring of sub-service and road networks, latest generation connectivity and implementation of interventions aimed at energy efficiency and enhancement of green areas.

Furthermore, there are plans to digitally upgrade all venues through the implementation of technological innovations in order to accelerate and improve recovery times and performances.

It’s also investing in digitizing and cataloguing its historical Luce Archive, one of Europe’s most important film, photographic and historical archives. This plan will focus on two areas: Firstly, audiovisual heritage, which will digitally convert nearly 13,000 newsreels and documentaries which lack duplicates and are showing signs of degradation; And secondly, its photographic heritage, which will digitally convert more than 1.5 million images for preservation.
The target is to complete all of these procedures by June 2026, a timeline that Maccanico feels extremely confident in. “We’ve had the greenlight already for the new soundstages to be built so this is actually happening, and we are making the investment for the go ahead.”

He adds that this revamp is necessary for Cinecittà to compete with other European production hubs on an international level and he’s confident in the ambitions for growth. “Everyone knows the Cinecittà brand and while our history is significant in many ways, I’m more focused on the present and how we will build this iconic studio into one of Europe’s most essential production hubs.”