RAI pumps up Euro film prod'n
"This is double what we earmarked for film production in the last two years," said Sergio Silva, RAI's head of films, fiction production and co-production.
"Including the $100 million we will spend in the production and co-production of Italian and European fiction programs, our investment in primetime will rise 150%," he said.
According to Silva, RAI will follow a cautious strategy of choosing projects that are high in quality but not too expensive.
Upcoming projects include theatrical versions of two TV movies, one by Marco Bellocchio and the other by Cristina Comencini.
Silva said a new complex at Cinecitta studios has been built to shoot RAI's novella "Incantesimo" (Charm).
RAI execs recently announced that the pubcaster will double its amount of locally produced fiction during the upcoming season.
"We want to find a better balance between acquisitions and productions, and increase the time of Italian fiction products and locally produced variety and talkshows," said Giancarlo Leone, RAI's director for the coordination of the three channels.
Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset --- RAI's main rival --- has announced it, too, will increase local production.
"However, Mediaset and RAI have totally different strategies," Leone said. "Sixty-five percent of the programs aired by Mediaset are films and entertainment, while entertainment shows reach only 35% of our total time, because we focus on news, cultural and educational programs," Leone said.
