With more than twenty series productions currently underway in the region and an industrial centrality that sees Lazio account for 54% of national production and 30% of the sector’s companies, “Roma Lazio in Serie” officially kicks off with a rich programme of events running from 14 to 25 October, alongside the Rome Film Festival.
The presentation was opened by Lorenza Lei, Board Member of the Fondazione Roma Lazio Film Commission and Delegate of the President of the Lazio Region, who stressed the strategic importance of the initiative:
«We are opening the house of seriality to create an environment where we can tell the story of a sector that is undergoing great change. We need to reflect carefully on how much and in what ways to invest in the series sector, because its development, alongside cinema, gives this region a certain primacy.»
The program, presented by Steve Della Casa, Italian film critic, director and artistic director, follows a path that weaves together the history and the future trends of serial storytelling:
«The most interesting thing about series is that they change destination, way of being consumed and concept almost every six months: this constant renewal makes the challenge even more interesting. That is precisely why we worked on several fronts, reconstructing a sort of oral history of seriality across past, present and future, in order to plan as well as possible for what is to come.»
The schedule includes B2B meetings held in collaboration with MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo), the Rome Film Festival and Alice nella Città, as well as moments dedicated to Italian titles (including Romanzo Criminale, Tutti pazzi per amore and Skam Italia). There will also be previews of works in progress (such as the series Ingorgo), the “Serie sotto le stelle” (Series Under the Stars) screening programme, podcasts and the presentation of a Special Award.
Closing the event, the President of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca, reaffirmed the Region’s key role in the audiovisual industry:
«We are not in competition with other regions, but Rome and Lazio have a historic centrality in this sector, and that is a fact. Behind all this is a world of people who work and who must be valued, safeguarded and protected by the Region, because this is a fundamental economic sector.»
