A gala evening at the Embassy headquarters in Tokyo, as is tradition during the Golden Week festivities, for the presentation of the 25th edition of the Italian Film Festival in Japan, which kicks off today with 12 films selected to be shown to the public in the Rising Sun.
"Reaching the milestone of a quarter of a century for us is a reason of great pride, and is a concrete testimony of the solidity and vitality of the cultural bridge that unites Italy and Japan," remarked the Italian Ambassador to Tokyo, Gianluigi Benedetti, recalling how the co-production agreement between the two countries was signed in the diplomatic headquarters in recent years. An agreement that was strongly desired and made to blossom by the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture, Lucia Bergonzoni, who has been following the promotion and internationalisation of the Italian cinema system for years, and who is also present in Tokyo this year after a stop at Expo Osaka 2025. "Despite the fact that the process has only just ended, in September 2024, we already have five Italy-Japan co-productions underway, and another series that will soon be signed and closed, with many interactions between Italian and Japanese producers," Bergonzoni explained to ANSA.
'This is very striking, because in other countries we struggle a lot. For example, in China they tend to do remakes rather than being interested in co-productions. Here, instead, there was an incredible immediate response, and we can only be pleased. Italy and Japan are two nations that have the concept of beauty and curating beauty. They recognise in us a nation that has very ancient traditions, and for this they esteem us highly. I believe that this is one of those agreements that will give us the most satisfaction'. In the meantime, synergies are taking shape in Osaka thanks to the Universal Exhibition currently underway, with the cultural and creative enterprises of Made in Italy, and craftsmanship, and this is why we need to preserve traditions, the undersecretary points out: 'Training is one of the things we are focusing on a lot, we have used various funds, including PNRR with Cinecittà, through courses on stage costumes and jewellery. We must remember that Italy is the country that has won the most Oscars after the United States, largely due to our workers'.
An all-Italian creativity that enchants and becomes not only a cultural but also an economic driver, Bergonzoni continues: 'When we talk in general about culture, there is always an economic issue behind it. We can't pretend we don't know that when culture moves, an induced industry moves: the fashion represented these days in Osaka is culture, as is the cinema. With the production of a film or an audiovisual work there is an induced activity of tourism, employment when it becomes structured. In Italy, where there are Film Commissions set up - which have been working for years - jobs are created especially for young people and many women'.
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