The region of Le Marche is one of the protagonists of “Il Giovane Favoloso” by Mario Martone, in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
In addition to narrating a story with a high level of content related to Le Marche (the biography of Giacomo Leopardi, played by Elio Germano), the movie and the locations (Recanati, Macerata, Loreto and Osimo), also received a significant economic contribution from the region, representing the first important example of external tax credit in Italy – the first case of a consistent investment in a theatrical work by private individuals: almost 2 million Euros out of a budget of around 8 million, provided by a pool of entrepreneurs from Le Marche led by the Fondazione Marche.
Produced by Palomar and Rai Cinema, with the contribution of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Directorate-General for Cinema, the Regional Government of Le Marche and the Fondazione Marche Cinema Multimedia – Marche Film Commission, the movie stars Isabella Ragonese and Michele Riondino, alongside Elio Germano. It was also filmed in Campania between Naples, Torre del Greco and the archaeological excavations of Pompeii (four weeks of work), as well as in Florence for a few days.

“It is a joy to see a significant movie such as this recognized at such an important festival, a movie that is not only set in Le Marche, but also has a very human character, that of a genial person who becomes a figure of recognition for all Italians“, says Anna Olivucci, head of the Marche Film Commission. ”A movie that employed thirty or so local workers, in different sectors: production, assistant director, make-up, wigs, wardrobe, props, as well as three interns from the Masterclasses of Cineresidenze. This was all made possible thanks to an agreement between the Regional Government of Le Marche, Palomar and Fondazione Marche Cinema of which the Film Commission is a section.
We hope that this movie will be the “Best Man” at the marriage between Le Marche and Cinema, a combination for which we have been fighting for years: this movie could contribute to helping the film commission put down roots in the territory and launch a kind of ‘trademark’. Naturally, in order to do that, it is necessary for the strategies of governance to move in this direction, as happened here, so we hope that this will be the start of a long-lasting union”.

Also completely made in Le Marche is “L’attesa del maggio”, the animated short directed by Simone Massi from Le Marche, which will be presented in competition in the Orizzonti section at Venice: “This makes us very happy, because animation is an area we have targeted for a long time”, continues Olivucci. “It has an excellent and diversified tradition, ranging from the Book School in Urbino, where Massi has his origins, to the Academy of Fine Arts , right up to “Winx”.
There has, therefore, been a territorial vocation for many years. We have also created the neologism Animarche and, under this title we have, in some way, already realized initiatives that aim to group together a variety of large or small isolated geniuses who are unconnected to each other and have noexternal power. This vaguely mirrors the attitude of our region: in Le Marche we have an ‘individual pride’ that we would like to transform into a collective effort under the profile of a filmic identity.”

Massi’s short can also be seen inside the boxed set “Nuvole e Mani – Il cinema animato di Simone Massi”, that Minimum Fax Media will be presenting at Venice, co-funded by the Fondazione Marche Cinema Multimedia and the Regional Government of Le Marche. The collection also includes the documentary dedicated to Massi “Animata Resistenza” by Francesco Montagner and Alberto Girotto, produced by Fucina del Corago with the support of the FMCM, which will also be presented at the Festival in the Grandi Classici section.