Cinecittà (; ) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constructed during the Fascist era as part of a plan to revive the Italian film industry and to compete with Hollywood. In the 1950s, the number of international productions being made there led to Rome being dubbed "Hollywood on the Tiber."

History

thumb|left|Inauguration of the studios in 1937

The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini, his son Vittorio, and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte" ("Cinema is the most powerful weapon"). The purpose was not only for propaganda, but also to support the recovering Italian feature film industry, which had reached its low point in 1931. Mussolini himself inaugurated the studios on 21 April 1937. Post-production units and sets were constructed and heavily used initially. Early films such as Scipio Africanus (1937) and The Iron Crown (1941) showcased the technological advancement of the studios. Seven thousand people were involved in the filming of the battle scene from Scipio Africanus, and live elephants were brought in as a part of the re-enactment of the Battle of Zama.

During World War II it became a German army barracks and was stripped of all electrical equipment with its sound stages smashed and gutted. The studios were bombed by the Western Allies during the bombing of Rome in World War II.

Following the war, between 1945 and 1947, the studios of Cinecittà were used as a displaced persons' camp for a period of about two years, following German occupation and Allied bombing that destroyed parts of the studio. An estimated 3,000 refugees lived there, divided into two camps: an Italian camp housing Italians as well as displaced people from Italian Libya and Dalmatia, and an international camp, including refugees from Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, Iran, and China.

After rebuilding in the postwar years by MGM's Henry Henigson for Quo Vadis, and the studios were for many years closely associated with Fellini.

In the same period, the studios were used for further international productions such as Francis of Assisi (1961), Cleopatra (1963), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968), Fellini's Casanova (1976), La Traviata (1982) and many other productions.

It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1991. This was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on Stage 15. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome which was perceived to be more secure.

After a period of near-bankruptcy, the Italian Government privatized Cinecittà in 1997, selling an 80% stake. In July 2012, another fire damaged Teatro 5, the vast studio where Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita and Satyricon (1969). A third fire in August 2022 destroyed part of a partially dismantled set depicting Renaissance-era Florence and disrupted filming of the sequel to The Old Guard.

Since the 1990s, films have included Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1996) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002), The 2019 film The Two Popes sections of which were also shot at Cinecittà, again utilised a reconstruction of the Sistine Chapel.

Future expansion

The new strategic and ambitious plan sets an unprecedented benchmark for Cinecittà's production capacity. Thanks to investments from the PNRR, the construction of five new sound stages and the complete renovation of four technologically advanced stages will be completed by June 2026. This expansion will increase the total number of stages from 20 to 25, boosting production capacity by 60%. As a result, Cinecittà will further strengthen its position as Europe's largest film studio, as Italy's leading audiovisual production hub and one of the most advanced and versatile in the world - fully equipped to host large-scale, innovative, and internationally significant projects. The movie-themed amusement park, Cinecittà World, opened in July 2014. The €250 million theme park is located approximately southwest of Cinecittà studios, on the site of a former movie studio built by Dino De Laurentiis in the 1960s.

File:Scenografia di "Rome" - panoramio.jpg|Scenography of the TV series Rome

File:Décor pour Paris au XIXè siècle (Cinnecittà) (5855733721).jpg|Set of Gangs of New York

File:Camera, Cinecittà Studios (46760148102).jpg

File:Le pavillon Cinears (Cinecittà) (5855634417).jpg

File:Le pavillon Cinears (Cinecittà) (5855634035).jpg|Reconstruction of Antonio Canova's Venus Victrix

File:Federico Fellini à Cinecitta (5856185332).jpg|Costumes worn by Giulietta Masina and Marcello Mastroianni in Ginger and Fred

File:Cinecittà - Costumes (5798148733).jpg|Costumes from The Night Porter by Piero Tosi

File:Cinecittà - Costume from Cleopatra (5798699876).jpg|Costume worn by Richard Burton in Cleopatra

File:Submarine Set from U-571, Cinecittà Studios (46087690884).jpg|Submarine set of U-571

</gallery>

See also

  • Cinecittà metro station

References

  • History of Cinecittà
  • RAI International:Cinecittà
  • Documents Cinecitta'