VIDEO | The general states of Italian animation held in Florence

Axis between Cartoon Italia and Anica on support for the sector: "We need mandatory investments for the platforms"

FLORENCE – Italian animation is becoming a strategic piece of the entertainment industry. With its 60 production companies and approximately 6,000 employees, the sector is progressively becoming stronger but to make a real leap in this growth process it needs investments. It is for this reason that operators have long , moved by a positive precedent in the use of tax credit, and having become aware of their potential, are knocking on Parliament and the government so that the obligation of a sub-quota of investments to be allocated precisely to animation is introduced for private platforms Italian.

The message comes unequivocally from the second edition of the general states, organized in Florence at the Manifattura Tabacchi in the spaces of DogHead Animation the studio which, with its approximately 500 artists, gave life to the animated series of Zerocalcare and many other Italian and international productions. An excellent choice, the latter, which is praised by Stefania Ippoliti, director of Toscana film commission. During the busy day of work, the axis is strengthened between the president of Cartoon Italia, Maria Carolina Terzi, and the number one of Anica, the association that brings together the cinematographic, audiovisual and digital industries, Francesco Rutelli.

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“The investment obligation and the sub-quota are our mantra, they are our way, our only hope of being able to grow – Terzi summarizes the issue – not having an under-quota, especially on the part of the platforms present on Italian territory, it is an element of crisis. This causes a delay in the evolution of the product, in Italy we have only one broadcaster which is Rai, which we will never stop thanking because it alone supports children’s animation series but there is a huge ‘lack’ that concerns animated feature films and animated series for children over 7 years old”.
Only with the obligation to invest for a sub-quota of 5%, this is the estimate identified by the category, there may be a maturation.

Concepts that Rutelli makes his own: “We trust that the demands of the world of animation will be acknowledged in Parliament, which are all demands that are within the national interest – he claims speaking to journalists on the sidelines of his participation in the event – we must help the Italian industrial and creative part not to compete with the world champions who have existed for 100 years, from Hollywood to others, but to be able to have a certain competitive incentive structure with other countries. Otherwise our companies will end up abroad or are bought from abroad”.

Therefore, warns Rutelli, “the sub-quota is not a small specific interest of the animation sector, which is why Anica has supported it and supports it with conviction, because it is a way to stay in this competition by making the thousands grow of young people working in this sector, the hundreds of businesses that are growing and can continue to grow”. The numbers presented at the general states are rather emblematic: with an investment of 10 million by the platforms, through the obligation of under-quota, in a three-year period the turnover of Italian animation, currently stuck at 125 million, would go to 178.4 million with a growth of 43% of the added value and the creation of 1,120 jobs.
The State, in turn, would have a positive return of 24.6 million. A virtuous precedent, as we were saying, already exists: the tax credit, by means of which each euro of tax relief has generated 2.5 euros of expenditure in Italy of which 2.2 for salaries and social contributions but also 1.26 euros of direct revenues for public finances. An instrument which, in turn, is symptomatic of attention on the part of recent governments and which is also confirmed in the greetings sent by the Undersecretary of Culture, Lucia Borgonzoni.

Who doesn’t need to be convinced of the validity of the investment sub-quota is the state TV, which already applies it: “We have it and we respect it – confirms the director of Rai Kids Luca Milano – at the moment there are none obligations, but there is not even a ban so I hope that the platforms and producers, as they have already tried to do in some rare cases, can make the collaboration more stable because I think it is also good for us to have a broader and competition.” In this sense, Rai, which has been investing in animation for twenty years with studios now present in every region and productions up to international competition, is the leading investor. “We are happy to use animation productions on our channels for children and teenagers, Rai YoYo and Rai Gulp, and indeed Italian talent is seen as on par with the best European and international realities – assures Milano – our hope is that the others too private broadcasters and platforms should start investing in Italian animation. This network will be able to give them the same satisfaction it is giving us.”