The Regione Lazio visits the Cannes Film Festival
On May 25, 2006, Giulia Rodano, the Regione Lazio Sports and Entertainment Councilor, together with representatives from Filas, the Regional Development Agency, presented the measures adopted by the regional government in support of the audiovisual and cinematographic industry in Lazio at the Cannes Film Festival.
The latest regional budget created a new fund for the quick reimbursement of added value taxes, which will allow non-resident film producers shooting in Lazio to collect the money ahead of normal reimbursement schedule. Filas will administer this new special fund.
Moreover, the region will also set up a fund to co-finance innovation and development projects related to cinematographic productions. The fund will match up to 50% of the private financing available for any given project. The fund is aimed at the Lazio SMEs (already existing or still to be incorporated) that operate in the audiovisual sector.
Last but not least, the Rome and Lazio "Film Commission All Set" was presented. This is a new body, which brings together the regional, provincial and city government in matters relevant to the movies industry. The agency will promote Lazio both nationally and internationally and publicize the opportunities available for cinematographic productions in the region. The new agency will provide support for the production of shoots in the provinces of Lazio, from the choice of a set to post-production and through to inaugural screenings.
"The Region is in Cannes because Lazio is set to revamp its heritage as an important, significant and unique theatre for cinema," Councilor Rodano declared. "The medium term objective is to promote cinematographic productions in our provinces, developing support and fiscal advantages for both foreign and Italian enterprises. However, the main objective is to create a virtuous cycle that will put the region back on track, and bring our heritage and services back to the forefront," Rodano added.


OnHollywood Investment Forum 2006 - Digital Media
In order to pursue a further enlargement of its transnational partner network, Filas recently participated in OnHollywood, one of
the top International Investment Fora, dedicated to the Digital Media Sector and organized by AlwaysOn. The OnHollywood Forum
( www.onhollywood.goingon.com ) was held on May 1-3, 2006 at the Roosvelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
The event featured speeches, round tables and presentations by 50 startup companies in a non-stop high-level marathon featuring the participation of over 500 delegates, mostly from the United States, but also from Europe and Asia. Among the many scheduled meetings, Filas conducted talks with interesting parties, including AlwaysOn, the editor of the cult magazine for US financers and event organizer; Lewis PR, a public relations agency specializing in innovation financing; Guidewire, a global consulting agency specializing in the organization of innovation conferences; and MyFilmU, a startup in the digital media sector founded by a very young Italian-American entrepreneur.
All of these companies received a full presentation of Filas and its many areas of activity. In particular, the Silk Avenue Project received great interest for its seminal role. All these companies have a strong tendency to internationalize and great interest in the European market. In fact, many have already carried out partnerships with European enterprises and are interested in
extending their network to the city of Rome and the Lazio Region.
FILAS was invited to participate in the Stanford Innovation Summit, the most important innovation event in California, to pursue its
initial contacts and study new partnership possibilities with public and private organizations.