Italian Cinema Adapts to Pandemic with Digital Festivals and Streaming

The Italian film industry is navigating Phase 2 of the pandemic by shifting festivals online and embracing digital distribution. The Torino Film Festival, scheduled for November 20–28, will become an online cultural project under new director Stefano Francia di Celle, who emphasized it won't disrupt distribution chains. The Fondazione Cinema per Roma, led by Laura Delli Colli, launched Backstage, a behind-the-scenes initiative featuring actors Anna Foglietta and Pierfrancesco Favino, plus filmmakers Daniele Luchetti, Pietro Valsecchi, Nicola Guaglianone, Daniele Ciprì, Massimo Cantini Parrini, Francesco Vedovati, and Francesco Pegoretti. Content will be available on romacinemafest.org and social media. The AFIC (Associazione Festival Italiani di Cinema) released a free app, Map to the Stars, on Google Play and Apple Store, aggregating over 75 Italian film festivals adapting to digital formats. Meanwhile, distributors are releasing films directly online, bypassing theaters. Titles include Eagle Pictures' 'Un figlio di nome erasmus' and 'La sfida delle mogli'; Vision Distribution's '7 ore per farti innamorare', 'D.N.A. (Decisamente non adatti)', and 'Tornare'; Warner Bros.' 'Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge' and 'Tornare a vincere'; and Universal Pictures' 'Emma' and 'Trolls World Tour'. The 77th Venice Film Festival's fate remains uncertain.