The Italian Screens showcase made its Shanghai debut at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, bringing seven contemporary Italian films to Chinese audiences as part of an ongoing push to deepen cinema ties between the two countries.
The program, which previously ran in Beijing for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, held its launch event at the Crowne Plaza Shanghai, with industry figures highlighting both the cultural exchange potential and practical business opportunities for Italian-Chinese film cooperation.
Roberto Stabile, head of international affairs at the Italian Cinema and Audiovisual Authority’s Rome-based Cinecittà division, joined Shanghai International Film and TV Festival Center director Chen Guo, Chinese distributor representative Li Na, and acclaimed Italian director Paolo Genovese, whose romantic comedy “Madly” (“Follemente”) opens the seven-film program.
Italian Screens is a joint initiative of Italy’s Ministry of Culture Cinema and Audiovisual Authority (DGCA-MiC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), designed to promote Italian film culture and foster international industry partnerships.
Chen welcomed the Italian showcase’s arrival in Shanghai, emphasizing the festival’s role as a bridge between Eastern and Western film cultures and expressing enthusiasm for bringing Italian cinema’s distinctive appeal to Shanghai audiences.
Stabile detailed the program’s highlights and outlined Italy’s latest film industry support policies. “We are honored to bring this compelling and deeply moving collection of new Italian films to Shanghai,” he said. “Last year, ‘C’è ancora domani’ (There’s Still Tomorrow), directed by Paola Cortellesi, opened our 2024 Italian Screens program in Beijing to enthusiastic response and achieved impressive results in theatrical release, with Chinese distribution subsequently receiving support from our film distribution fund.”
He added: “Building on that success, we’re pleased to present this year’s opening film ‘Follemente’ (‘Madly’). It’s one of Italy’s highest-grossing films this year, attracting over 2.3 million viewers domestically, and we sincerely hope it will similarly win over Chinese audiences.”
The Italian Screens initiative centers on a Film Distribution Fund that provides €2 million ($2.3 million) annually to support overseas theatrical releases of Italian films. International distributors can apply for up to €50,000 ($57,380) per title for theatrical distribution of Italian films in their territories.
Stabile also outlined other Italian incentive policies designed to attract international co-productions, extending an invitation to Chinese filmmakers: “We welcome more Chinese film professionals to come to Italy for location shooting, especially at Cinecittà, which boasts both a rich history and advanced facilities.”
Genovese joined distributor representative Li Na in promoting “Madly,” making its Chinese debut at the Shanghai festival. Following his global phenomenon “Perfect Strangers,” Genovese returns with his distinctive perspective on human relationships.
The film follows philosophy professor Piero (Edoardo Leo), fresh from a breakup, who meets determined furniture restorer Lara (Pilar Fogliati). The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.
“‘Madly’ attempts to explore the inner contradictions we face when making major choices — those emotional decisions that can make life beautiful or unbearable,” Genovese explained. The film centers its narrative on the protagonists’ inner worlds within a classic romantic comedy framework.
The director noted the film represents a tonal shift from his previous work: “I want audiences to leave the theater with the impulse to fall in love,” he said, contrasting it with “Perfect Strangers,” after which “many people walked out of the cinema wanting to break up and never believe in love again.” “Maybe I’m making this film to compensate for my previous mistakes — to help those who broke up because of ‘Perfect Strangers’ get back together after watching this one.”
As the Italian showcase’s promotional ambassador, Genovese also expressed optimism about Sino-Italian film cultural exchange. This marks his fourth visit to Shanghai, where he said he feels “at home” and has already received numerous remake requests for “Madly” from various countries, noting the film’s universal themes make it suitable for cultural adaptation.
Li Na, instrumental in bringing both “Madly” and “There’s Still Tomorrow” to Chinese audiences, reflected on her connection to Italian cinema and thanked the Italian Screens project for its support during the “There’s Still Tomorrow” marketing campaign.
“There’s Still Tomorrow” proved the viability of Italian films in China, with its box office proving to be the highest performance for the title outside Italy. The film also scored an exceptional 9.4 rating on Chinese review platform Douban and secured a spot in the platform’s Top 250 films list at No. 100.
“The emotions of Italian people and Chinese people are interconnected,” Li Na said. “More excellent Italian films should be introduced to China.” She noted that Italian producer Mario Gianani (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) observed Chinese audiences’ reactions to the film matched those of Italian viewers, with identical moments of laughter and tears.
Coinciding with the 55th anniversary of China-Italy diplomatic relations, this year’s “Italian Screens” program presents seven selected contemporary Italian works: “Madly,” “Diamonds,” “The Story of Frank and Nina,” “Naples to New York,” “Vermiglio,” “The Negotiator,” and “Feeling Better.”
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