Gabriele Muccino's €1.6M Tourism Spot for Calabria Sparks Outrage Over Clichés and Waste

The Calabria region spent €1,663,101.56 on an 8-minute promotional short film titled "Terra Mia," directed by Gabriele Muccino, costing over €200,000 per minute. The film, starring Raoul Bova and Rocío Muñoz Morales, was intended to boost tourism amid the COVID-19 pandemic but has been widely criticized for its clichéd portrayal of the region, featuring stereotypical imagery of coastlines, clementines, and romantic dialogues. Critics argue it fails to showcase Calabria's cultural heritage, museums, archaeological sites, or contemporary art and architecture. The funding came from the 'Piano Esecutivo Annuale d’Immagine e Promozione Turistica 2020' (€11 million total) under the Programma Azione Coesione, initiated by the late Governor Jole Santelli. Fausto Orsomarso, tourism assessor for Fratelli d'Italia, defended the project as an emotional tool to 'de-provincialize' the region, but the response has been overwhelmingly negative. The budget exceeds the total annual funding (€1,350,000) that the Calabria Film Commission allocates to dozens of short films, features, and documentaries. In contrast, the film "Padre Nostro" by Claudio Noce, supported by the same Film Commission and selected for the 77th Venice Film Festival, is cited as a more effective example of cultural promotion.