It has always been my dream to film in Italy and in Rome, in particular”. Oscar winning director and scriptwriter Paul Haggis is enthusiastic about the possibility of shooting his new movie, which he is also co-producing with Paul Breuls and Michael Nozik, in the Eternal City.
The movie is “Third Person” which will be distributed by Moviemax in Italy where it will be released in 2014. The movie is being filmed in Italy in the historic film studios of Cinecittà, the old town center of Rome and the city of Taranto.
The cast features a true “army” of great talents: Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Adrien Brody, Moran Atias, Kim Basinger and Maria Bello, as well as the Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio.
The movie tells three stories about three couples living in three different cities: New York, Paris and Rome.
“The three stories represent the beginning, the evolution and the end of a relationship”, explains Haggis. “The couple living in Italy is the beginning, Paris is the evolution of the relationship and New York is the end”.
The parts of the story set in Paris and the Big Apple will be shot in Italy, in film studios and some locations discovered by the director (“the set designers of Cinecittà can rebuild anything”, comments Haggis).

Marina Marzotto, Director General of Moviemax, who purchased “Third Person” on behalf of her company at the Toronto Festival says:
“We were immediately won over by Haggis’ screenplay and his unique and original vision of this story that, despite being filmed entirely in Italy, will evidently be of international interest”.
The Moviemax Media Group executive adds: “We want our list to focus on the talent of filmmakers like Haggis, as well as Alessandro Gassman, whose directing debut, “Razzabastarda”, will be presented at the Rome Film Festival and the new movie by Terry Gilliam, ‘The Zeto Theorem’, which is about to start filming in Bulgaria.”
Marina Marzotto explains: “We are proud of the fact that great cinema is returning to the legendary studios on Via Tuscolana. As Italians, we are very happy that foreign directors want to come and work in this magnificent production structure where they can count on the support of highly skilled technicians and can use areas that are perfect for creating true, great cinema. Paul Haggis is very pleased with how things are going, as are his co-producers. The whole cinema system in Rome is assisting this production. The set will subsequently move on to Apulia, bringing work and resources to a wonderful city with many problems: Taranto. We have to thank the Apulia Film Commission for everything it has done to make this come about, providing assistance to the production company in a highly professional and audacious manner”.
Marina Marzotto aims to throw out all the clichés that swamp foreign companies working in Italy, reminding us that cinema is, first and foremost, an industry: “Please let’s forget all the stories about sunshine and food. Without the tax credit, we could never have imagined making a production like “Third Person” in Italy”. She explains: “That sort of turnover would have been literally unthinkable without a reliable tool like this that brings productions to Italy and, more importantly, encourages them to stay here, without going on to Paris or flying home to New York.”

Although it is still too early to discuss details, the movie’s launch strategy, similar to that of “To Rome with Love” by Woody Allen, could involve a world premiere in Rome. “We are discussing it at the moment,” concludes Marina Marzotto, “It is what we at Moviemax really want, because we believe that our capital city merits premieres of this level. In the meantime, we are still actively looking for more international movie co-productions that want to come and film in Italy”.