Cinecittà, Europe’s largest film studio, is spearheading a bold plan to reestablish Italy as a global film production hub, despite looming uncertainty from former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign-made films.
This week, Cinecittà’s managing company approved a five-year growth strategy, supported by the European Union’s post-COVID Recovery Fund. The plan includes building state-of-the-art sound stages and expanding production capacity by 60 per cent by 2026.
“We want to lead the game,” said CEO Manuela Cacciamani. “Cinecittà must be a factory that works at full capacity, with excellence as the minimum standard.”
Founded in 1937 under Benito Mussolini’s regime, Cinecittà earned the nickname “Hollywood on the Tiber” and has hosted more than 3,000 productions. Over the decades, it has attracted legendary filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola.
The studio aims to nearly double its revenue to €51.9 million ($58.8 million) by 2029, and to return to profitability after reporting a €11.6 million loss in 2024. A net profit of €4.3 million is projected within the same timeframe.
However, Trump’s recently announced proposal to impose a 100 per cent tariff on films produced outside the U.S. threatens to disrupt the global production model. The former president claims the measure is necessary to prevent the “very fast death” of Hollywood, though he has yet to release detailed plans.
Such a tariff could severely impact international collaborations, including high-budget U.S. productions that rely on global studios like Cinecittà for cost efficiency, technical talent, and iconic locations.
Although a U.S. trade court initially blocked the tariffs, a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated them this week, leaving the issue unresolved.
Cacciamani acknowledged the uncertainty, saying Cinecittà is “monitoring with the utmost care” the evolving situation. “The hope is that two historic powers of cinema in Italy and the U.S. which owe so much to each other, will continue to cooperate,”
Italy’s generous film tax credit, offering up to 40 per cent reimbursement for production costs, remains one of the most competitive globally. This incentive has already drawn major international projects such as Emilia Perez and the papal thriller Conclave to Italy.
Among the upcoming high-profile shoots at Cinecittà is The Resurrection of the Christ, the sequel to Mel Gibson’s 2004 hit The Passion of the Christ. The film, shot in Italy, could fall under Trump’s proposed tariff.
Gibson is also one of Trump’s appointed Special Ambassadors in Hollywood, alongside actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, part of an effort to revitalize the U.S. film industry.
Read also: Trump announced 100% tariff on foreign-made movies
