A showcase of young and younger talents, Celebrating Connections was organized at the BerlinEFM by MiC and Cinecittà, strongly supported by the Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni and Cinecittà’s president Chiara Sbarigia. The meeting took place at Gropius Dome, a tensile structure made magical by the wall and vault projections curated by One More Pictures by Manuela Cacciamani, led by Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio,” Federico Ielapi, a thirteen-year-old with a major curriculum who has already worked with Gabriele Muccino, John Lithgow, Anthony Hopkins, Roberto Benigni, Pierfrancesco Favino, and has recently took part in the US series Those About to Die in Cinecittà.

Lucia Borgonzoni explained the project’s focus, “It is essential as a government to talk about our country. In this case, we thought of an immersive presentation, a great opportunity for the Italian star system of the future. Sometimes, films that talk about Italy use foreign actors, and it’s a shame. Our task is to make our actors become international stars in all respects.”

Borgonzoni continued by discussing the opportunities offered by the “strongly structured and financed” Cinema Law. “Italy, she stated, is one of the best places to shoot also for the quality of the craftsmanship. Our artisans have earned most of our Oscars – and many. We are the second most awarded country after the United States, not to mention our wonderful locations and Cinecittà with its highly technological soundstages. Cinecittà is a brand that everyone recognizes worldwide.” President Chiara Sbarigia underlined the ongoing investments with the expansion of the stages to become 25 by 2026, the presence of one of the largest smart stages in Europe, the painters, decorators, make-up artists, and the commitment to training.

Paolo Del Brocco, CEO of Rai Cinema, reiterated how “one of Rai’s missions is to find talents and help them grow, as in Gabriele Salvatores’ new film Napoli New York with Dea Lanzaro and Antonio Guerra. He then spoke about the American tour of Me Captain. “The movie is going very well: it’s highly appreciated by Cuaron and many American filmmakers. There’s been strong solidarity in the film industry around Garrone’s film, something we couldn’t have hoped for. The five shortlists of candidates are very strong, and we’re competing with distributors such as Sony, Netflix, and A24, but we have the support of our Ministry of Culture, which has also participated on an economic level, alongside a few private Italian companies that have generously supported us “. Matteo Garrone sent a short video message from Los Angeles to greet his colleagues in Berlin, “Good luck to all our young actors. I hope to work with them soon.”

After Stefano Accorsi, the young talents took to the stage one by one, each with a small monologue and a few stories. Ginevra Francesconi, born in 2003 (My Name Is Vendetta), praised the value of empathy. Saul Nanni, class 1999 (Kim Rossi Stuart’s son in Brado), spoke about his role in the very secretive Supersex, a movie on Rocco Siffredi presented in Berlin. Gaia Girace, born in 2003 (Lila in L’amica geniale, one of the protagonists of The Good Mothers) will soon be seen in Sunflowers by Catrinel Marlon, a story set in a psychiatric hospital in the 60s where she plays the role of a schizophrenic teenager. Domenico Cuomo, born in 2004 (Mare Fuori, Catch 22 by George Clooney, Mimì the Prince of Darkness), reunited with Gaia Girace whom he had worked with on L’amica geniale. Sara Serraiocco, the eldest of the group, recalled her participation in Berlin with Cloro, produced by Rai Cinema in 2012, and her presence among the Shooting Stars the year after. “A springboard that eventually led me to work abroad.”