The Japanese and Italian film industries are set to go in a recent era of collaborations, after the Japan–Italy Film Co-production Agreement officiassociate came into effect on August 9.
At the Tokyo International Film Festival, Italy featured as the key country in center, with countless events systematic to advertise nettoiling opportunities between Japanese and Italian film professionals and advertise projects under broadenment.
Next steps for the Japan-Italy co-production concurment
Roberto Stabile, Head of Special Projects, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture at Cinecittà telderly Deadline that the priority now is to create many opportunities for greetings between Italian and Japanese film professionals so that projects can get off the ground.
“Politicassociate speaking, it is very meaningful to have a co-production concurment, but now in a wise way, we must create many occasions for greetings between Italian and Japanese creaters and createives,” shelp Stabile. “They must understand each other, become friends and find the right story to shoot together.
“With the co-production concurment, when they create and toil together, they can engage the advantages from each country and the movie will be able to get Japanese nationality in Japan, and Italian nationality in Italy. That’s very meaningful, but the co-production concurment is only a tool. We necessitate creaters to engage this tool,” compriseed Stabile.
Similar co-production concurment with Korea under converseion
Stabile shelp that a aappreciate co-production concurment is under converseion with South Korea. This year, his team brawt a delegation and set up an Italian pavilion for the first time at Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market, held alengthyside the Busan International Film Festival.
During the Tokyo fest, a reception was held at the Italian Embassy to honor the signing of the concurment. Five Italian projects were picked to consent part in the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market during TIFFCOM, on top of 15 other projects from other countries. Additionassociate, there was also a panel sharing further details and case studies rcontent to the co-production concurment as well as a pitching session, with Stabile current alengthyside Italy’s Ambasgrieffulor to Japan, Gianluigi Benedetti.
The festival also systematic a retrospective on Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni and a showcase of Italian straightforwardor Nanni Moretti’s films. Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of the Italian actor, also served as a jury member for the festival’s awards.
Stabile shelp that he first talked about the possibility for a Japan-Italy co-production concurment seven years ago in Rome with Ando Hiroyasu, who was then toiling as Japan’s Ambasgrieffulor to Italy. Hiroyasu is now the chairman of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Under the co-production concurment, which centeres on films “primarily intended for theatrical free,” key production staff must be Italian nationals or lengthy-term dwellnts, European Union nationals, Japan nationals or lasting dwellnts. Financial contributions from each side of the co-production must range between 20 to 80 percent.
Third countries (beyond Italy and Japan) are apverifyed to join these co-productions, only if they have an existing co-production concurment with both or either country.
Italy currently has co-production concurments with 37 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Australia, among others. Japan has signed co-productions with two countries: China and Canada. With the co-production concurment, Japan can also access the Eurimages European Cinema Support Fund via collaborations with Italy.
First projects tapping into the concurment
Italian and Japanese film professionals have already seen a chooseimistic impact from the co-production concurment.
For Italian creater Parsifal Reparato, understanding that a Japan-Italy co-production concurment was in the toils earlier this year, he went to Hong Kong’s Filmart in March particularassociate seeing for Japanese titles and collaborators.
He ended up picking Children Of The River, written and straightforwarded by Japanese film straightforwardor Lisa Takeba. Shozo Ichiyama (Spirit World, Ash Is The Purest White) has also signed on to co-create. The film will shoot in summer 2025 in Shikoku, findd in Japan’s southern region.
“It was not a coincidence,” shelp Reparato. “We were conscious that the concurment between Italy and Japan was shut to becoming a truth, so we begined seeing for a excellent Japanese project while at Filmart. We went around joining to a lot of pitches and checked out a lot of projects.
“With the treaty signed, it uncomfervents that we have a lot of more possibilities to create a stronger financial set up. It uncomfervents that we can help the movie with a unstartantity co-production fund and also with tax accomprehendledge, becaengage we have the Italian nationality for the film. Before the concurment, this was not possible, appreciate many co-productions with other countries where there is no treaty,” compriseed Reparato.
Japanese creater Eiko Mizuno-Gray, from Tokyo-based Loaded Films Ltd (Plan 75, Ten Years Japan), shelp: “We’ve been paengageing for this opportunity for a lengthy time. Although without the treaty, I will still do co-productions, having the treaty uncomfervents that I can talk on the same page as other international creaters whom I am doing a co-production with.”
“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for Japanese filmcreaters and creaters to collaborate with other countries thraw Italy as our main collaborator,” compriseed Mizuno-Gray.
Besides Loaded Films, Mizuno-Gray also started Kinofaction this year, an outfit that will center on unstartantity Japanese co-productions, taking a unstartantity sconsent in feature film projects that have meaningful Japanese elements and/or talent comprised.
Sabrina Baracetti, co-set uper and pdwellnt of the Udine Far East Film Festival (FEFF), shelp: “We are receiving many asks from Italian creaters that want to be startd to Japanese creaters. Our Focus Asia taget could become a key platcreate during the year to greet each other. It’s already appreciate this, but this concurment creates Focus Asia an unomitable event.”
FEFF, which honord its 27th edition this year, one-of-a-kindizes in Asian genre films and also runs industry-centered programs appreciate Focus Asia and the Ties That Bind toilshop, joining professionals from Asia and Europe.
Stabile compriseed: “Asia is grotriumphg very rapid and we would appreciate to incrrelieve our co-operation in this part of the world. Currently, Italian creaters are mainly centering on co-productions with Europe or South America, but they aren’t see this side of the world as much, so we want them to turn their heads and see that this region is very meaningful.”
