Italian State Buys Cinema Fiamma in Rome, First Public Cinema Experiment

The Italian state has acquired the historic Cinema Fiamma in Rome, marking the first experiment in public cinema ownership. The purchase was finalized on June 22, 2022, for just over €3 million, funded by PNRR resources allocated by Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini to the Fondazione CSC. The cinema, which premiered classics like La Dolce Vita and Breakfast at Tiffany's, will reopen in December 2023 after renovations. It will feature two screening rooms (one for archive films, one for new releases), a café, study area, media library, and a corner of the Biblioteca Luigi Chiarini. The project aims to address the crisis in movie theaters by creating a vibrant cultural hub focused on spectator education and innovation. The Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, under president Marta Donzelli, will run the venue, combining the National Film School and the Cineteca Nazionale. A public tender for design and execution will be published by July 15, 2022, with construction starting by March 2023 and finishing in autumn 2023. Franceschini emphasized the paradox of cinema and audiovisual growth amid theater closures, calling the initiative forward-looking. The model was previously suggested by Massimiliano Tonelli in Artribune Magazine, arguing for public intervention as the only sustainable path for theaters.