Marina Marzotto

Source: Dedalus

Marina Marzotto

A group of leading Italian producers have come together to launch Dedalus, an alliance of Italian original producers.

Launched at Rome’s MIA market, Dedalus has been founded by Italian producers Carlo Cresto Dina, Nicola De Angelis, Nicola Giuliano, Marina Marzotto, Annamaria Morelli, Olivia Musini, Viola Prestieri, Rosario Rinaldo, Matteo Rovere, Riccardo Russo, Giuseppe Saccà, Nicola Serra and Riccardo Tozzi.

The alliance wants to restore visibility and recognition to the original producer as a key creative and driving force within Italy’s audiovisual industry, and also to champion the role of the producer to the wider public.

Many Italian producers believe their role and profession has been underrepresented and underestimated, despite coming from a long tradition of great producers such as Dino De Laurentiis, Carlo Ponti and Franco Cristaldi who discovered and nurtured cinematic talents.

Italy already has producer organisations such as Anica and the APA, but the alliance will differ in focus by representing single professionals and not companies. Dedalus intends to cooperate with Anica, APA and other associations.

Many of the founding producers belong to well-known Italian production companies. They include Nicola De Angelis of Fabula Pictures, part of France’s Federation; Annmaria Morelli of Fremantle-owned The Apartment; Matteo Rovere of Banijay label Groenlandia; Nicola Serra of Mediawan-owned Palomar; and Riccardo Tozzi of ITV-owned Cattleya.

In a statement, Dedalus said it “aims to reaffirm the central role of the original producer in shaping and steering a project from concept to completion, placing that role at the heart of the dialogue on the evolution of 21st-century cinematic and audiovisual storytelling.

“Original producers identify stories, nurture their development, and oversee every stage of production, defining the creative identity of the work and ensuring its coherence throughout the process, while taking on artistic, technical and financial responsibility.”

Dedalus plans to organise initiatives to highlight production activity in Italy and abroad, including in educational programmes and training courses for schools and universities. It will also foster training and professional development for its members, and take an active part in major industry events to build a broader understanding of the producer’s role.

Propaganda Italia founder Marina Marzotto has been named president of Dedalus, alongside vice-president Riccardo Tozzi.

“There’s a strong sense of unity among Dedalus members,” said Marzotto. “We all feel the need to clarify what an original producer really does in bringing a film or TV series to life, from its inception through development and production. We’re eager to engage in dialogue within the industry, because we are convinced that recognizing the true scope of our work benefits everyone.”

“We chose the name Dedalus because the original producer acts as a guide, helping to find the right path through experience and vision” added Tozzi. “In other words, they are the people who, both creatively and practically, piece by piece, turn ideas into finished works for audiences to experience. We also hope that younger generations will see this as a profession worth aspiring to — after all, we bring dreams to life.”

The initiative was welcomed by Julie-Jeanne Règnault, managing director of the European Producers Club, who said: “Strengthening the visibility and recognition of producers is essential to the vitality and sustainability of our industry.”

She noted that the launch of Dedalus was taking place against a background of concern about recognition for independent producers within Europe. She noted that the European Commission’s proposed replacement for Creative Europe, AgoraEU, is not dedicated to supporting independent productions, but could direct funding to subsidiaries of broadcasters and platforms.

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