Film commission day – for us, one of the most interesting new features of Mipcom 2014 – is an opportunity for Italian audiovisuals to be presented with a heavier “tool box”: the metaphor was coined by Bruno Zambardino who, in an article published in this issue, describes the latest tools being offered to foreign producers who plan to film in Italy.

These start with the tax credits which have now been extended to the entire audiovisual production chain (not just cinema but also products for TV and the web, documentaries and animations), aptly underlining that the budget limit for accessing tax credits has been doubled (from 5 to 10 million Euros), thus benefiting executive productions that establish agreements with foreign productions choosing to film in Italy.
And, concludes Zambardino, with the regional Film Commissions, excellent consultants for directing the decisions of theatrical and television producers in a land which is highly appreciated for the beauty of its landscapes and the quality of its foods and wines, but not enough (until now) to film a movie, a TV series or a commercial here.

Also in this issue, our report on the services and “missions” of the principal Italian film commissions includes a reflection on what is happening in the part of Italy that includes Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino and South Tyrol where, for the last couple of years, the respective film commissions have started sharing some of the audiovisual projects for which they provide services, demonstrating a desire for cooperation that it is difficult to find amongst other Italian regions.
It is an interesting phenomenon because it involves pushing concomitantly towards the north and east, within the new Europe: this centrifugal energy is confirmed by the high number– high with respect to the rest of Italy – of co-productions and European productions being filmed in these areas.

Then, if we consider the increasingly visible propensity for developing cross-border forms of cooperation (such as Re-ACT, the agreement recently signed between Friuli Venezia Giulia, Slovenia and Croatia), the optimization of resources sought by the film commissions of South Tyrol, Trentino and Friuli Venezia Giulia, appears to be part of a journey that is not limited to achieving “the best offer”.
What we have done in this issue is to try and discover the right direction for the same.