Nicola Tarantino: Last News

Marta Balaga As high-profile international productions continue to flock to Italy, its film commissions have joined forces, leaving producers’ old divide-and-conquer playbook in the dust. “We believe that the success of one member is the success of all members,” says Cristina Priarone, president of the Italian Film Commissions Assn. The organization was created — alongside the Italy for Movies web site, with a searchable database — to help potential collaborators easily access information about available regional funds, and other advantages offered by different regions. “This network has increased Italy’s talent to attract productions, welcome them at the highest level and easily move their sets from one region to another,” adds Toscana Film Commission’s Stefania Ippoliti.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentFor some cinephiles, Sicily may still conjure images from “The Godfather” franchise, but the Italian isle has long moved on.When you see Sicily on screen these days in movies and TV series made for global audiences, the narratives now seldom involve Cosa Nostra tropes as they once used to. What’s taking precedence for producers now is the sheer beauty of the Sicilian landscape in its plethora of forms.“For decades Sicily was where you would come to film stories that were centered around the Mafia and organized crime; but now this is changing,” says Sicilian Film Commission chief Nicola Tarantino.