Nicola Borrelli graduated in Business and Economics and started his career in the Public Administration in 1997. In October 2000 he became an executive of the Performing Arts Department (MiBAC – Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities) and afterwards of both the Direction General for Cinema and the Direction General for Performing Arts. From 2009 to 2019 he served as Director General for Cinema. He coordinated all the administrative, accounting and managing procedures related to the legislative reform of the Italian film industry sector and contributed to the elaboration of the Italian tax credit laws. From August 2019 to March 2020, he was appointed Director General for contemporary creativity and urban regeneration. Since March 2020, he is once again Director General for Cinema and Audiovisual (MiBACT -Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism) at Italy’s MiC – Ministry of Culture).
THE FILM VERDICT: Mr. Borrelli, you have an impressive career. Your name, while very important in Italy, is not a so well known outside the Italian industry, yet your work affects both Italian and international industries. What is your role as Director General of Cinema and Audiovisual at the Ministry of Culture, and how does it influence the Italian landscape directly?
NICOLA BORRELLI: Thanks for the compliments. My role as Director has evolved in line with the changes in the industry, such as the regulatory provisions that have intervened over the years at the level of governance and at the level of strategic, administrative, and organizational skills.
Just think: for some years now, our Directorate has been extended to cover the audiovisual sector, along with cinema. This is partly due to the big transformation in the market; for example, the raging growth of TV series productions and of our presence abroad. This is why the cinema and audiovisual law of 2016 and the implementing decrees (updated several times) now support the entire “extended supply chain”, from short films and documentaries to series that are broadcast on TV or directly to digital, to films for theatrical release, up to video clips and video games, as well as the film theaters themselves.
My role in the department that I have the honor of chairing has grown considerably in the last decade with an increasingly significant impact on the sector, which is also demonstrated by our budget which has practically doubled in the last seven years.
THE FILM VERDICT: In 2019 you worked on the legislative reform of the Italian film industry sector and contributed to the elaboration of the tax-credit policy. Today, how effective have those laws been and how have they directly impacted both the domestic and international film industries?
NICOLA BORRELLI: There is no doubt that the tax credit, in all its forms, has generated production volumes and has had an economic impact on the territories where the productions were being shot and supported by our Ministry.
We have a highly competitive instrument (at a 40% rate) able to attract an increasing number of international productions with very positive effects in terms of direct and indirect investments, as well as indirect and direct returns from film tourism.
Every year we commission an independent study to measure the impact of public investment and the data that emerge are increasingly encouraging. It should not be overlooked that the tax credit is a benefit aimed not only at the domestic and international production of films and TV series, but also at the distribution sector, technical industries, film theaters and, more recently, video games.
THE FILM VERDICT: Some background for our international readers: How is public funding allocated to Italian film production and distribution? And what is the total budget set aside for Italian films this year and in 2024?
NICOLA BORRELLI: For 2024 we have not yet defined the budget, but I can tell you that for 2023 the total endowment of our fund is close to 750 million euros, more than half of which is granted through the tax credit. We also finance production and distribution through selective and automatic contributions.
THE FILM VERDICT: How important is international visibility at festivals and award ceremonies in promoting Italian movies? Apart from Venice, what are the most important promotion vehicles and platforms (such as festivals) for Italy commercially?
NICOLA BORRELLI: This is one of our strategic priorities. In recent years we have strengthened the system of support for the internationalization and promotion of our film and audiovisual productions in the main festivals and international markets. We have entrusted Cinecittà with a coordinating role to optimize these opportunities for promotion and make them increasingly effective, also through special funds for missions and foreign distribution. This is aimed at increasing our communication and visibility abroad. For the last six years, there has also been a national portal (also in English) for the enhancement of filming locations and public incentives. www.italyformovies.it
THE FILM VERDICT: Can you tell us something about how MIBACT MiC supports film festivals big and small in Italy? What kind of budget do you have for them? How do you approach this aspect of the ministry’s cultural mission?
NICOLA BORRELLI: We have an “ad hoc line” of our national Fund dedicated to supporting promotion. In 2023 the budget for festivals, film shows and awards was €6.5 million, allocated to hundreds of events taking place throughout the territory. Additional resources are added for the promotional activities managed by the Venice Biennale for the Venice Film Festival, by the Turin Museum for the festival of that city, by the Cineteca di Bologna for the Cinema Ritrovato event, and even by Cinecittà. These institutions, as well as the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia film school, receive a stable budget each year.
I believe it’s essential to combine the cultural mission of the Ministry to promote national identity with the valorization and circulation of works selected within these cultural events.
THE FILM VERDICT: Italy has a well-earned place in film culture, though the emergence of cinema in other parts of the world sometimes seems to overshadow Italian cinema when it comes to international awards like the Oscars. Is your office focusing its efforts on the selection process for Italian films for the Academy Awards?
NICOLA BORRELLI: We remain the country that has won the most Oscars in the world for Best Foreign Language Film. I like to vaunt this with pride. Having said this, we are well aware of the emergence of other markets and the increasingly fierce competition in the sector, along with the need to confirm and increase the weight of our films (classic and contemporary) abroad. The Commission that evaluates Italian candidates is always very careful in its choices, which are sometimes not easy.
THE FILM VERDICT: How can you sum up the last ten years of Italian cinema and forecast its future?
NICOLA BORRELLI: I believe that the (film) sector in this decade has matured a lot and that the quality of production and distribution is there for all to see. But we can and must improve, so we are always working to update our support tools — starting with the tax credit. Following the evolution of the market, we strive to make them more and more effective, while always being careful to enhance the cultural aspects and innovation and experimentation with more purely industrial ones.