News

As Italy’s government wobbles, the country’s struggling film and TV industry is staying afloat thanks to beefed-up funding that in 2021 will provide a €640 million ($775 million) safety net for local exhibitors, distributors and producers.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte survived a crucial Senate confidence vote on Tuesday evening by a razor thin margin of just 16 votes (the vote went 156-140 in his favor), averting a crisis sparked by differences over how to spend more than €200 billion ($242 billion) earmarked by the European Union for a Covid-19 recovery fund to help revive its pandemic-plagued economy.

The president of Italy’s Motion Picture Association (Anica) Francesco Rutelli on Wednesday told Variety that the government now remains on track with its recovery plan for the film and audiovisual production industry, drafted by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, which Rutelli called “a major achievement.” Funding for the industry is up 60% compared with last year and is...

Rome, Dec 10 (Ians) Italy on Thursday mourned the death of football great Paolo Rossi, the hero of Italy's 1982 World Cup and one of the most prolific scorers in the country's football history.

Rossi, who struggled with lung cancer in recent years, died late Wednesday at the age of 64, though the news was not made public until Thursday when it was reported by Rai Sport, where Rossi had been working as a football commentator.

Gazzetta Dello Sport, Italy's most widely read sports publication, reported in a banner headline Thursday: "Football and Italy are crying over the death of the man who is the symbol of the 1982 World Cup winner." Rome's La Repubblica reported, "Another hero has left us," a reference to Rossi and iconic Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona who played his best years in Italy and who died on Nov. 25, Xinhua news reports.

Via social media, the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte...

Rome, Dec 4 (Ians) In an effort to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Italy has imposed tough restrictions for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, which will include a ban on inter-regional travel and a nationwide curfew on December 31.

The restrictions were approved in a cabinet decree passed on Thursday, and will come into force between from Friday to January 15, 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

Different rules would last variously within this timeframe.

At a press conference on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that the new tough restrictions were necessary because the country, one of the worst-hit in Europe, still had a long way ahead in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"We have to wait for the vaccine plan to be operative; we have to wait for the monoclonal treatments," he said.

"All of this will come with the next year, but it is clear...

Italian cinemas are set to stay closed over the holidays after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte extended Italy’s soft lockdown until early January.

The widely expected move comes as the country contends with a flare up of the pandemic. On Thursday, Italy suffered 993 Covid-19 deaths, the highest number ever recorded — more than the previous peak of 969 reached on March 27, when the country was in full lockdown. The infection curve, however, has been flattening this week, down 20% to 23,225 new cases compared to Thursday of last week.

Italy’s exhibitors had been clamoring for the government to agree to a Christmas season re-opening since late October, when movie theaters were shut just as attendance was starting to perk up since the mid-June re-opening following full lockdown.

Pleading his case for a Christmas reopening, Mario Lorini, head of Italy’s exhibitors org Anec, had cited 2020 box office losses amounting to more than 90% of...

The world took to social media on Wednesday to mourn the death of Argentine soccer player Diego Armando Maradona, among the greatest soccer players of all time, whose career skyrocketed in Italy where he played for A.C. Napoli starting in the mid-1980s.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted, “The entire world mourns the loss of Maradona, who with his unequalled talent has written unforgettable pages in soccer history. Goodbye eternal champion.”

Il mondo intero piange la scomparsa di #Maradona, che con il suo talento ineguagliabile ha scritto pagine indimenticabili della storia del calcio. Addio eterno campione. pic.twitter.com/nhNo1ySjdp

— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) November 25, 2020

British director Asif Kapadia, who made the high-profile doc “Maradona,” was among the first to respond on Twitter, noting he “can’t quite believe Dm has gone.”

“Hard to process. He always seemed indestructible. I had 10 hours with the man!! I touched his left foot.

Sunday Update, writethru after Saturday 10:39Am Pt post, with more reactions: The Saturday call that Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States elicited a swarm of congratulations as is the custom after an election. Reactions from world leaders and U.S. allies including Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, both of whom have crossed swords with current President Donald Trump in the past, were among those to make statements.

The global media was also digesting the news, with part of the world still in the overnight hours. Since then, leaders from such countries as South Korea, Australia and Israel added their sentiments.

Some politicians Saturday diverted from the usual formal declarations in their pronouncements, including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (her tweet started with “Welcome back America”) and London Mayor Sadiq Khan

Election Day 2020: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

Here’s a sample of what’s been said:

Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/xrpE99W4c4

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 7, 2020

Germany chancellor Angela Merkel, who said in part, “I look forward to future cooperation with President Biden… Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we are to master the great challenges of our time.” (Merkel is also due to give a briefing late Sunday afternoon local time.)

Chancellor #Merkel congratulates @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/A9Vwy1XYAR

— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) November 7, 2020

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their election as the next President and Vice President of the United States of America. Canada and the United States enjoy an extraordinary relationship – one that is unique on the world stage.”

“I look forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, their administration, and the United States Congress as we tackle the world’s greatest challenges together.”

Congratulations, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that’s unique on the world stage. I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 7, 2020

French President Emanuel Macron:

The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let's work together!

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 7, 2020

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte vowed the U.S. “can rely on Italy as a solid ally and strategic partner”:

Congratulations to the American people and institutions for an outstanding turnout of democratic vitality. We are ready to work with the President-elect @JoeBiden to make the transatlantic relationship stronger. The US can count on Italy as a solid Ally and a strategic partner

— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) November 7, 2020

Sadiq Kahn, the Mayor of London:

Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your well-deserved win.

London looks forward to working with you — it's time to get back to building bridges, not walls.

Theatres to be shuttered until November 24.

Cinemas in Italy have been shuttered for a second time in a bid to curb a second spike in coronavirus cases and avoid a full lockdown.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Sunday that cinemas, theatres, discos and gaming halls must close their doors from today (October 26), following a new daily record of 19,644 coronavirus infections in the country.

Conte stopped short of imposing a nationwide lockdown but stated that bars and restaurants will have to stop service from 6pm.

Cinemas will remain closed until November 24 – although an extension is expected – as the government...

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday announced new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 that fall short of a total lockdown, but include shuttering the country’s movie theaters starting on Monday through Nov. 24, barring further complications.

Though the government’s decision was expected – as coronavirus infections in Italy rose on Sunday to a new daily record of 21,273 infections and 128 deaths – the country’s exhibitors organization Anec immediately protested the forced closures of cinemas, firing off an open letter to the prime minister voicing their “disapproval” and underlining the move’s “devastating impact” for their business.

The new measures announced on Sunday also involve closing live theaters, gaming halls and gyms outright, while bars and restaurants must close after 6Pm. A nightly curfew will also be in place.

Italy, which was initially the European country hit hardest by the pandemic, and the first to go into lockdown in March,...

The Covid-19 second wave has hit Europe and cinemas across the continent are again shutting down.

Italy, which in February became the first country in Europe to close cinemas due to the coronavirus pandemic, and which re-opened theaters in June, is set to shut down again, starting from Monday, Oct. 26. 

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Sunday, responding to a spike in Covid-19 infections, announced that cinemas, along with live theaters, discos, and gaming halls, will be forced to close their doors. Italy also introduced a new curfew for bars and restaurants, which will have to stop service after 6 ...

The Covid-19 second wave has hit Europe and cinemas across the continent are again shutting down.

Italy, which in February became the first country in Europe to close cinemas due to the coronavirus pandemic, and which re-opened theaters in June, is set to shut down again, starting from Monday, Oct. 26. 

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Sunday, responding to a spike in Covid-19 infections, announced that cinemas, along with live theaters, discos, and gaming halls, will be forced to close their doors. Italy also introduced a new curfew for bars and restaurants, which will have to stop service after 6 ...

As Covid-19 cases spike, Europe is once again taking serious measures to curb the virus’ spread. After initially shuttering its movie theaters in late February and then reopening in June, Italy is now set to close cinemas once again from tomorrow. At the same time, Spain has approved a new national state of alarm and is introducing a nationwide curfew from 11Pm to 6Am, though regions have a margin of one hour on either side, El Pais reports.

The moves come after France widely extended a 9Pm to 6Am curfew to numerous areas across the country this past week.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte today announced that bars and restaurants must cease daily service as of 6Pm beginning Monday. Cinemas, live theaters, gaming halls and discos will be closed altogether. Italy was once the hardest hit European nation and in early March, became the first to impose strict confinement as...

Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in early July quietly made a surprise appearance at an open-air film screening in Rome’s central Piazza San Cosimato, where the country’s leader and his girlfriend wore masks and sat on pillows in a socially distanced spot on the pavement.

They attended the thriving “Il Cinema in Piazza” summer arena amid 1,000 spectators who had each passed a thermoscanner before settling down on their free, pre-booked spot to watch Paolo Virzì’s 1994 dramedy “La Bella Vita,” presented by the director.

The event is run by the Piccolo America nonprofit association, a feisty group of young film buffs who have been shaking things up for years after occupying the nearby shuttered Cinema America movie theater.

There’s greater significance to the org’s summer screenings this year, given a recent legal fight to secure content from local distributors who were wary of films being...

Hollywood’s directors, musicians and composers are bowing to the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone, who died Monday at age 91.

Filmmakers like Edgar Wright, Asif Kapadia and John Carpenter lined up to applaud Morricone’s musical work in countless spaghetti Westerns, including most notably films like “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly,” “The Untouchables,” “Cinema Paradiso” and many more.

“He could make an average movie into a must see, a good movie into art, and a great movie into legend. He hasn’t been off my stereo my entire life. What a legacy of work he leaves behind,” “Baby Driver” director Wright said in a tweet along with a thread of some of Morricone’s iconic scores.

Also Read: Ennio Morricone, Oscar-Winning Film Composer, Dies at 91

“With great sadness, we say goodbye to a big master of cinema. His music will keep playing in our memories. Rest in peace,...

Antonio Banderas, Edgar Wright, Jean Michel Jarre, Chance the Rapper and even the Italian prime minister were among the people paying to legendary film composer Ennio Morricone early Monday, who died following complications from a fall. He was 91.

Over seven decades, Morricone contributed to over 520 scores including, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “The Hateful Eight,” “Cinema Paradiso” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Morricone won the Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Academy Award in 2016 for “The Hateful Eight.”

Director Edgar Wright led the tributes on social media saying, “Where to even begin with iconic composer Ennio Morricone? He could make an average movie into a must-see, a good movie into art, and a great movie into legend. He hasn’t been off my stereo my entire life. What a legacy of work he leaves behind. Rip.”

Where to even begin with iconic composer Ennio Morricone?...

Another legend has passed. Ennio Morricone, the prolific film composer behind now-iconic scores for films including The Mission and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, has died at age 91. Morricone passed in a clinic in Rome early Monday morning, per Variety. The composer's lawyer, Giorgio Asumma, told Italian outlet Ansa that Morricone was at the clinic following a fall which caused a hip fracture. In the immediate wake of Morricone's passing, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted out his condolences, writing, "We will always remember, with infinite gratitude, the artistic genius of the Maestro #EnnioMorricone. …...

Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning composer of Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” and several high profile Spaghetti Westerns, has passed away at the age of 91. According to the Italian news agency Ansa (via Variety), Morricone died early in the morning on Monday, July 6 in Rome after suffering a fall that caused a hip fracture.

Over his six decades as a film composer, Morricone is best remembered for shaping the sound of the Spaghetti Western genre thanks to his legendary work on the films in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy,” which include “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966). Morricone and Leone would continue to work together on films such as “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968). Throughout his esteemed career, Morricone collaborated with the likes of Terence Malick (“Days of Heaven”), John Carpenter (“The Thing”), Roman Polanski (“Frantic”), William Friedkin...

Oscar-winning Italian composer Ennio Morricone died Monday at age 91, his lawyer told the New York Times.

Morricone became famous for his melodic scores for 1960s Westerns like “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” He drew on his work in so-called spaghetti Westerns for Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 Western “The Hateful Eight,” which earned the composer his first Academy Award after five previous nominations and an honorary award in 2007.

In addition, Morricone picked up three Golden Globes and two Grammy Awards during his long and celebrated career.

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2020 (Photos)

The Rome-born composer wrote the scores for more than 500 films in a wide range of genres and styles — but often drawing on his desire to place music and sound effects like ticking watches and buzzing flies at the foreground of the filmgoer’s consciousness.

He earned Oscar nominations for...

Oscar winner Ennio Morricone, composer of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “The Mission” and among the most prolific and admired composers in film history, has died. He was 91.

Morricone died early Monday in a Rome clinic, where he was taken shortly after suffering a fall that caused a hip fracture, his lawyer Giorgio Asumma told Italian news agency Ansa.

Shortly after Morricone’s death was confirmed, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted: “We will always remember, with infinite gratitude, the artistic genius of the Maestro #EnnioMorricone. It made us dream, feel excited, reflect, writing memorable notes that will remain indelible in the history of music and cinema.”

The Italian maestro’s estimated 500 scores for films and television, composed over more than 50 years, are believed to constitute a record in Western cinema for sheer quantity of music.

At least a dozen of them became film-score classics, from the...

The Italian film industry is filled with equal parts hope and trepidation following an announcement by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on May 16 that the country's cinemas will finally be allowed to reopen on June 15 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Cinema owners are eager to get back to business after a months-long shutdown — the longest lockdown in Europe — but fear it may be harder than ever to make money. Italy's independent industry, in particular, has warned that current and preexisting conditions in the market could prove a fatal combination.

All Italian art house distributors,...

The Italian film industry is filled with equal parts hope and trepidation following an announcement by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on May 16 that the country's cinemas will finally be allowed to reopen on June 15 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Cinema owners are eager to get back to business after a months-long shutdown — the longest lockdown in Europe — but fear it may be harder than ever to make money. Italy's independent industry, in particular, has warned that current and preexisting conditions in the market could prove a fatal combination.

All Italian art house distributors,...

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the weekend said Italian movie theaters will be allowed to reopen on June 15 as coronavirus lockdown restrictions lift. However, it remains to be seen how many cinemas will actually be operational by then.

While it’s unlikely many of Italy’s roughly 4,000 screens will be active next month, the country’s distributors and exhibitors are busy gearing up for summer releases and finding creative solutions for moviegoing to resume.

“In order to open movie theaters, audiences need to feel safe and relaxed” says Andrea Occhipinti, who heads Italian distributor-producer Lucky Red and is also chief of national arthouse theater chain Circuito Cinema.

“As exhibitors, we need to understand how many people will actually go (to the movies),” Occhipinti adds, pointing out that if theaters operate under 30% capacity “it will be a bit complicated economically.”

The other crucial challenge for Italy’s arthouse circuit in...

Italian government announces steps for relaxing lockdown measures.

Cinemas in Italy are set to reopen on June 15 after more than three months of closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday (May 16) the next stage of the country’s lockdown exit strategy.

Theatres have been given the greenlight to reopen but with social distancing measures such as staggered seating and online booking.

It is expected that screenings with more than 200 spectators will be forbidden, whilst masks will be compulsory.

Italy was one of the first in Europe to impose lockdown measures and suffered some...

Movie theaters in Italy are set to open their doors again on June 15 as part of a “calculated risk” to restart the country’s economy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday evening. “We’re facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again,” Conte said in a televised address. “We have to accept it otherwise we will never be able to start up again.” The move comes with the introduction on Saturday of a timetable for various businesses to reopen with social distancing measures in place. Also Read: UK Cinemas to Remain Closed Until At Least July 4, Government Says Starting Monday, shops, restaurants and places of worship will be allowed to reopen with social distancing measures enforced, including greater distance between restaurant tables and face masks required for entry. Next week, gyms and swimming pools will be reopened; and on June 3, Italy will reopen...

Italy’s cinemas will get back to business from June 15, the government announced Saturday as it outlined an overall easing of lockdown protocols in what was the initial epicenter of the European continent’s coronavirus outbreak. As with other markets that are beginning to lift restrictions on moviegoing, there will be social distancing measures in place including staggered seating and online booking.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday said, “We are facing a calculated risk with the awareness that the contagion curve could rise again.” But he also noted concern over a severely damaged economic and social structure, saying the country could not afford to wait for a vaccine. “We are taking this risk and we have to accept it, otherwise we could not restart,” the Prime Minister said. Italy has the third-highest number of coronavirus fatalities in the world with nearly 32K deaths, but recorded its lowest daily...

Alberto Barbera, Artistic Director of the Venice Film Festival, has outlined some of the coronavirus preventative measures that the event could employ for its next edition in September, if the fest does go ahead.

Quoted in Italian outlet Ansa, Babera said that Venice would likely take place in a “necessarily experimental” form for 2020.

More from DeadlineWhat's The Latest On The Venice, Toronto, Telluride, Locarno & Karlovy Vary Film Festivals Amid The Pandemic?Netflix Unveils 'Tiger King' & 'Money Heist' Blockbuster Viewership With Earnings ReportSnap Inc. Posts Q1 User And Revenue Surge As Covid-19 Provides Tailwind

“There will certainly be the use of masks and social distancing,” the fest chief said in a statement translated by Deadline from its original Italian. “It will then be necessary to reduce the number of admissions to the cinema and probably also the number of accreditations.”

Barbera added he believes that not all international...