MPAA, Italian Culture Minister, Promote Cinecittà Studios Revamp Plan Unveiled at Venice
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentPlans to overhaul Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios and potentially turn them into the top European filming facility were officially unveiled Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival with Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini and Stan McCoy, who is chief of the Motion Picture Assn. for Europe, on hand.In June, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian premier Mario Draghi jointly visited the Cinecittà lot and held a press conference in its vast Studio 5 — known as the late, great filmmaker Federico Fellini’s second home — to announce a €300 million ($353 million) investment to “adequately meet the growing international demand” for studio space,” as Franceschini put it.