A dash of Italian flair has recently graced Shanghai's film scene. At the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, guests were treated to the inaugural Shanghai appearance of the Italian Screens showcase, presenting a cinematic smorgasbord of seven contemporary Italian films. The goal? Nurture a deeper, more dynamic relationship between the Chinese and Italian movie industries.

This exciting initiative has already been twice successful in Beijing during 2023 and 2024. The Shanghai launch, hosted at the Crowne Plaza Shanghai, saw important figures from the film industry tasting delicious Prosecco and discussing the tasty morsels of opportunities that the Italy-China film cooperation brings.

Stepping into the spotlight were Roberto Stabile, the globe-trotting head of international affairs at the Italian Cinema and Audiovisual Authority’s Rome-based Cinecittà branch, together with the influential director of the Shanghai International Film and TV Festival Center, Chen Guo. Joining the film industry VIPs were Li Na, a Chinese distributor representative, and the celebrated Italian director Paolo Genovese, whose romantic comedy "Madly" charmingly opens the seven-film program.

The Italian Screens venture is like a delicious pizza made by Italy’s Ministry of Culture Cinema and Audiovisual Authority (DGCA-MiC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). This tasty creation aims to entice international audiences with the rich flavors of Italian film culture and encourage collaborations in the film industry.

As the guests raised their glasses, Chen toasted the arrival of the Italian showcase in Shanghai. He highlighted the festival's vital role as a bridge connecting Eastern and Western film cultures and expressed excitement about the unique allure of Italian cinema for the Shanghai audiences.

Stabile served as the cinematic sommelier for the night, walking the audience through the program's highlights and revealing the current support measures for Italy's film industry. "We're thrilled to share an emotionally striking array of new Italian movies with the audience here in Shanghai," Stabile beamed.

He then pointed out the success of the 2024 Italian Screens program opening in Beijing with the film “There’s Still Tomorrow” ("C'è ancora domani"). It garnered a rapturous response and performed significantly well at the box office.

Cementing the program’s success, Stabile unveiled this year’s opening film “Follemente” (“Madly”). With a staggering 2.3 million viewers in Italy alone, he expressed his hope that this film would charm Chinese audiences in the same way.

The Italian Screens project is centered around a movie-lover’s dream – a film distribution fund doling out €2 million ($2.3 million) yearly to push for international releases of Italian films. Stabile also spoke about other sweet Italian incentive policies designed to lure in international co-productions.

The Roma-born director Genovese, having previously directed the global hit “Perfect Strangers,” promoted “Madly” alongside Li Na at the Shanghai festival. The film, a quirky, romantic, espresso shot of human relationships with a twist, piqued the audience’s interest.

At the end of the night, Li Na breathed life into the connective tissue between Italian and Chinese cinema, inviting more stellar Italian films to be introduced to China. This year's "Italian Screens" program is featuring seven contemporary films: “Madly,” “Diamonds,” “The Story of Frank and Nina,” “Naples to New York,” “Vermiglio,” “The Negotiator,” and “Feeling Better.”