V I D E O • A G E Se p t e m b e r/ Oc t o b e r 2 0 0 9 38 Despite its history as the “Hollywood of Italy,” Rome itself has never served as a venue for film and television festivals and markets. With its money, movies, star power and talents, the city was instrumental in creating several of the world’s first film festivals (Venice 1932), television festivals (Prix Italia, 1948) and even the first audiovisual market (Milan’s MIFED, 1960). Until now, however, Rome had never been able to take the industry’s spotlight itself. Basically, it had been great at helping other cities, but not itself. This is why the Roma Fiction Fest (RFF), whose third annual edition took place in early July at the Conciliazione Auditorium, Adriano Multiplex Cinema and LUMSA University in Rome, strove to become a destination event for the international and Italian television drama-producing industries. Essentially, Rome is reclaiming the title as Italy’s main venue for international show business, what with the demise of MIFED, the Milan Fair’s audiovisual market that was officially closed down in 2005 (but in effect ceased to be viable in 1986 after the retirement of its founder, Michele Guido Franci). A true Roman, Franci, who presided over the Milan’s Fair from 1978 until 1984, would commute weekly from Milan to his native Rome (where his wife resided). For RFF organizers, it seems as though because Franci died in Rome in 1991, the spirit of MIFED never truly left the Eternal City. Indeed, the organizers tried to buy the MIFED brand name from Milan Fair, only to be answered with an unreasonable request for lots of money. The RFF — one of the first major initiatives from the newly established Lazio Foundation for Audiovisual Development that is being promoted internationally by Piero Marrazzo, the governor of the Lazio Region (of which Rome is part) — is all about bringing in new TV business to Rome. Marrazzo explained that 75 percent of Italy’s cinema and television enterprises (some 1,100 companies) are based in Rome and elsewhere throughout the region. These employ 27 percent of Italy’s professionals (of which 150,000 are in Rome). This year marked the first-ever Roma TV Screenings, a new initiative that served to underscore the growing significance of the event. “We decided to add the Screenings because Italian fiction needs to be a significant part of the international market and it should be seen by the largest number of people possible,” said Carlo Macchitella, director of the new Screenings section. He added: “We want to be like the Los Angeles [TV] Screenings, and not in competition with [Cannes’] MIP-TV and MIPCOM. We hope to serve as a venue where TV executives can screen our fiction and weigh its value for their TV schedules.” In three short years, the Festival has become a significant marketplace for Italian drama, and its growth is indisputable. This year’s edition, which screened 75 titles from 26 countries (including 27 world premieres), drew 38,000 attendees, of which 3,000 were from the press. “Italian fiction needs to become more aggressive on the international arena,” said Macchitella, “and we are hopeful that this will happen with new stories, new actors and more competitive production values. We hope that the TV executives who attended the Screenings will begin to appreciate [Italian drama] and start thinking of how it can work for their TV networks.” The RFF event was divided into two parts: Competition and Business. The “Competition” segment was further divided into three groups: International competition for TV movies (winner, Bavaria Film’s Buddenbrooks ), miniseries (winner, BBC’s Burn Up) and continuing series (winner, Londynczycyfrom Poland’s TVP); International competition factual (winner, Poland’s Three Buddies ), documentaries and docudrama; and Italian Competition for drama (divided into Fiction, soap and sitcom). The 35 awards were a bit overwhelming, with honors also bestowed for best actor and actress in leading and supportive roles, best director and best music, in what seemed a mishmash of recognitions and accolades as opposed to rewards. The competition had three additional features: Special events, Parallel events and a Retrospective. The Business aspect attracted over 1,000 professionals from 20 countries, including Germany, France, Hungary, Argentina and Mexico. The “Business” consisted of Screenings, TV Pitching and conferences (including “Master Classes” with leading producers, writers and directors). In addition to providing 40 pitching and “Speed Dating” sessions aimed at pairing up creatives and producers itching to wheel and deal, this year boasted appearances by Lost creator, writer and executive producer Damon Lindelof and his colleague, Carlton Cuse, who serves as a writer and executive producer on the hit show. The duo were awarded with the “2009 Roma Fiction Fest Special Award,” a prize bestowed upon them because of the series’ “new and compelling narrative style.” Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles ( City of God) was also on hand to speak about television production. “Colorful Mysteries in Black-andWhite,” a special retrospective organized in collaboration with RaiTeche (RAI’s archives division), took a look back at the history of television drama. Overall, RFF organizers did a good job of staging the event in a difficult city. Rome was at the height of the tourist season and was also housing delegates from over 25 nations on hand to attend the G8 World Leaders’ Summit being held in L’Aquila, in the nearby Abruzzo Region. Venues selected were within walking distance of each other, with Multisala Adriano and the larger Auditorium Concilazione mostly used for the competition program, and the University LUMSA facility reserved for business. The LUMSA facilities housed the market side with 15 exhibition booths, including those of RaiTrade and Mediaset, and a large screening room that showcased new programs from Italian TV networks, including Sky Italia. If there was one problem encountered at the RFF, it was the overwhelming bureaucracy created by the competition aspect of the event. For the much smaller group of “business” participants, it would have been better to have dealt with a separate (and much smaller) entity. In terms of efficiency, business participants would have been better served with a “business” badge that also extended privileges to the competition side. For the trade press, it would have been easier to have its own press office at the LUMSA, rather than a shared one with the consumer press at the Multisala Adriano facility. For exhibitors, it would have been much simpler to deal with a small market organization than with the larger festival structure, where at times people were not familiar with program distributors’ requirements, inquiries and support mechanism. In order for the RFF to become a viable international marketplace that could eventually replace MIFED, the business aspect must become more appealing in terms of both organization and atmosphere. For example, the trade-only party jointly sponsored by RaiTrade and Mediaset on the garden roof of the Visconti Palace Hotel, near the Multisala Adriano, was much appreciated by many participants. Roma F i ct i on Fes t Rev i ew Rome Tries To Regain TV Spotlight for Italy Mediaset’s Sonia Danieli, Rai Trade’s Sabrina Eleuteri and Mediaset’s Manuela Caputi. RAI Trade’s Sesto Cifola, Michele Lo Foco, Carlo Nardello, RFF’s Carlo Machitella. Mediaset’s Clare McArdle, HRT’s Ranka Horvat, TLN’s Aldo Di Felice, Mediaset’s Manuela Caputi. Pictured at one of the screenings are TLN’s Aldo Di Felice and Comarex’s Marcel Vinay
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