Collective Chiaroscuro is sponsoring The States General of Independent Cinema, scheduled for June 4 in Milan as part of the Milano Film Festival. A talk by Luca Bigazzi CCS on low-budget cinema is scheduled at 4 p.m.
GENERAL STATES OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA 2025
PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT
Following the success of the first edition held in May 2024, which was attended by directors, screenwriters, producers, distributors and operators of the independent audiovisual sector, AIR3 – Italian Directors’ Association – is promoting the second edition of the States General of Independent Cinema. The event will take place on June 4, 2025 at the Anteo Palazzo del Cinema in Milan, within the Milano Film Fest, thus consolidating its role within a nationally recognized context of prestige. It will be a unique opportunity for discussion, debate and planning to support and develop a new model of independent audiovisual production, capable of placing creativity, freedom of expression and economic sustainability at the center.
OBJECTIVES
- Fostering dialogue among practitioners, institutions and the public.
- Define concrete proposals for supporting Italian independent cinema.
- Create a permanent observatory on the state of independent cinema.
- Propose to initiate a path for the establishment of a Ministry of Cinema.
- Discuss the creation of new financing models.
PROGRAM AND THEMES
The 2025 program will consist of five panels, which will address strategic issues for the industry:
THE USUAL INDEPENDENTS
THE STATE OF INDEPENDENT FILM AND A FILM MINISTRY
Moderator: Anne-Riitta Ciccone – AIR3 Director and 100authors Advisor
Independent Cinema as a curb to cultural homogenization and an engine of innovation. A discussion on the central role of Independent Cinema in the Italian cultural ecosystem. An investigation into the disparity in funding compared to other cultural sectors, the need for a national production pole and the hypothesis of a Ministry of Cinema, inspired by the French CNC model.
AND I PAY…
NEW MODELS OF FINANCING AND DISTRIBUTION
Moderator: Simone Cannata – Director AIR3
The revival of Independent Cinema also passes through innovative tools: the first private investment funds dedicated to audiovisuals are born in Italy. Alongside these, models of bottom-up distribution, networks of independent and collective cinemas that put into circulation new ways of reaching audiences are emerging.
IT IS DONE BUT NOT SAID
L’AI IN CINEMA
Moderator: Giovanni Esposito – AIR3 Director / Andrea Colamedici – Essayist and Editor
Creative tool or invisible threat? Artificial intelligence enters production processes, from conception to post-production, raising new ethical, contractual and artistic challenges. But the industry does not yet seem to be ready to handle its impact. Accompanied by Colamedici we question how to regulate the use of AI in Cinema, protect rights, redefine responsibilities and defend authorship. A necessary confrontation to understand how to direct change, instead of undergoing it.
“FRANCISCAN” CINEMA
PROS AND CONS OF SCARCITY OF MEANS
Moderator: Alessandro Soetje – AIR3 Director / Armando Trivellini – AIR3 Director
Cinema costs money and when there is a lack of money it is always a problem. Or is it?
A cinema without great economic means does not necessarily become a cinema also poor in style and ideas. Many important artistic movements have arisen precisely by taking advantage of the agility and freedom afforded by scarcity of means. But what should be invested in when funds do not abound?
I’VE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT!
THE ROLE OF THE CRITIC AND THE CREATION OF AN INFORMED AUDIENCE
Moderator: Marco Armando Piccinini – AIR3 Director
Speaker: Silvia Tarquini – Editorial Director CCS
In a landscape dominated by marketing and algorithm-driven content, film criticism seeks new spaces of relevance. From traditional press to online critics, a new generation of voices emerges, capable of forming an independent audience more attentive to quality than hype. A discussion on the power of critical words and the future of cinematic storytelling.
THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST EDITION
In 2024, the first edition brought together more than 330 professionals at the Anteo Palazzo del Cinema in Milan and was distinguished by the quality of the debate and the initiation of concrete collaborations. AIR3 launched the creation of permanent working groups and strengthened the dialogue with key national institutions, as witnessed by the recent collaboration with 100Autors and the participation in the Cannes and Venice events where issues related to the Milan event were discussed.
The program will also include two special panels, organized with the support of sponsors Fujifilm and NABA – New Academy of Fine Arts, and moderated by AIR3 directors Fabio Rao and Alberto Sansone.
PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORTERS
AIR3 has been able to count on the support of two official sponsors: FUJIFILM and NABA – New Academy of Fine Arts, which will curate the two thematic panels within the program. FUJIFILM will also be present with a Touch and Try Point available for the duration of the event, offering the opportunity to test FUJINON mirrorless cameras and optics dedicated to the professional video and film world.
NABA – New Academy of Fine Arts also contributed to the audiovisual coverage of the entire day.
In addition to the renewal of the collaboration with Anteo Palazzo del Cinema, a reference reality in the promotion of quality cinema, AIR3 was able to count on the technical support of Moovie, which provides part of the equipment necessary for the realization of the event.
This year also marks the launch of a significant new partnership with the Milano Film Festival, confirming the association’s growing commitment to building a solid, participatory cultural network rooted in the territory.
CONCLUSIONS
The Stati Generali del Cinema Indipendente represents an essential appointment for those who believe in the strength of free, innovative and international cinema. AIR3 aims to give continuity to this path, strengthening the dialogue between artists, producers, institutions and audiences, in order to contribute in a concrete way to the growth of the Italian independent audiovisual sector.
With this second edition, AIR3 is also committed to keeping the dialogue on independent cinema open throughout the year, through initiatives, meetings and proposals that consolidate the movement born with the States General of Independent Cinema.
