“If only we had more products like “˜Barbarossa’”, sighs Sesto Cifola, continuing enthusiastically: “an epic movie and a great drama”, alluding to the fact that it will be distributed as a 2 hour movie for the cinema as well as a 4 hour TV mini-series.
“An international cast, filmed in English, battles, special effects, big crowds, historical reconstructions, an exciting story.
I have called it the Italian “Braveheart” because, just like Gibson’s film, it is about a national people’s hero and the struggle for freedom against a foreign oppressor in an adventurous, medieval setting.
There has been some controversy about the movie in Italy but I don’t care.
All I can say is that our work would be more profitable if we had more products like this: this is what the international market wants (and is seriously lacking).
It will be a success, I can tell from the pre-sales and the contacts made so far”.

MipCom TV (4-9/10) is imminent and Rai Trade is getting ready to premiere Renzo Martinelli’s finally completed movie at the event: presented to the market under the international title of “Frederick Barbarossa. The Company of Death”, an 8 minute taste was screened at the Cannes Marché, whereas the definitive cinema version will be shown for the first time at MipCom (also in Cannes) (around 300 copies will be released in Italy on October 9th, after the Milan premiere at the Sforzesco Castle).

“RaiTrade has a large exhibition space at the Palais in Cannes”, says Cifola, “including a 10-seat screening room. We will organize a series of pre-booked screenings for small groups of invited guests”.

“Barbarossa” will be Rai Trade’s big title for the second half of the markets season: after Cannes they will be promoting it at Business Street in Rome (15-22/10) and the AFM in Los Angeles (5-11/11).

“But markets need more than movies and dramas”, explains Cifola: the Italian distributor’s catalogue also includes documentaries, cartoons and formats.
Some of the most interesting products for the market are the format of “Agrodolce” and “Ti lascio una canzone” (a remake agreement for the French version of which will be signed in Cannes with TF1), and the “Voyager” documentaries.
With regard to new drama, good sales are expected for “Agostino”, the fifth and last mini-series in the “Imperium” project produced by Lux Vide for the Rai, starring Franco Nero and Alessandro Preziosi, “Basaglia” and “Nebbie & Delitti 3”, the second series in the “Crimini” collection, with its mixture of “thrillers, good stories and beautiful views of our cities”.