Carlo Bassi has stepped downas CEO of AIP, the Italian film organisation which oversees promotional bodyFilmitalia as well as the MIFED film market.

Industry veteran Adriana Chiesa will take over at Filmitalia. Ernesto Paolillo, an AIP board member will be in charge of"MIFED, due to his long experience in financialinstitutions."

Chiesa said: "My appointment as CEO of AIP Filmitalia refers in particular to the company's role of promoting and marketing Italian cinema abroad."

In her new role, she will manage and programme events (relating to Filmitalia and the promotion of films abroad) as well as focusing on the support and services AIP provides during international events.

Envisaged as an outfitsimilar in scope to French promotional body Unifrance, AIP was created in 2003by Cinecitta Holding and Fiera di Milano. As well as boosting the profile ofItalian films, one of its aims was to raise the stature of the VeniceScreenings and MIFED.

However, 2004 proved to be atwilight year for the market in Milan, following AFM's decision to move toMIFED's autumn slot.

Last year, Bassicontroversially announced that in 2005 MIFED would travel between Milan and theVenice film festival, and avoid any further confrontation with the AmericanFilm Market and its new slot.

Initial plans involvedholding a three-day market in Milan and a further three days in Venice duringthe Venice Film Festival, although no further plans were ever confirmed ordisclosed.

It is still unclearwhether MIFED will actually take place at all in 2005.

Chiesa is to officially stepdown from her position as CEO of her Rome-based sales company Adriana ChiesaEnterprises. She will be replaced by sales manager Rossella Gori, although shewill retain a role at her company.

"It will definitely be businessas usual for the company," Adriana Chiesa told ScreenDaily.com whenreached for comment.

Chiesa is a widely-respectedveteran of the Italian film industry. She is currently vice-president of EFEA(the association of European sales agents) and is a member of the EFA's boardof directors, which organises the European Film Awards.

AIP's board of directors isnow made up of Giovanni Galoppi, Antonio Breschi, Antonio Caorsi, AdrianaChiesa, Ernesto Paolillo and Alessandro Usai.