Scorsese, Coppola, Campion... The directors' call to save Roman cinemas

"It is our duty to transform these 'abandoned cathedrals in the desert' into true temples of culture." In a letter to the Italian authorities, Martin Scorsese , Francis Ford Coppola , Jane Campion , Wes Anderson and Ari Aster call for mobilization to prevent Rome's cinemas from being transformed into shopping malls, hotels and supermarkets.

“The transformation of cinemas would be a profound sacrilege not only for the rich history of the city, but also for the cultural heritage to be left to future generations,” reads the appeal launched Sunday by the five directors in Corriere Della Sera , addressing directly to Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In their letter, the five directors invite their “colleagues around the world to sign this letter to save the last chance of redemption of one of the most important cultural and artistic cities in the world.” According to Indiewire , 500 film personalities expressed their support on Monday, including Léa Seydoux , David Cronenberg and Damien Chazelle.

For several months, the cultural sector has been mobilizing in Rome against the gradual sale of old Roman cinemas and theaters that developers intend to transform into supermarkets, bingo halls, hotels or shops. Until now, when a cinema was bought, 70% of its space had to be dedicated to a cultural activity. But the Lazio region, led by right-wing and far-right parties, wants to authorize the takeover and complete change of activity of these theaters after ten years inactivity, or even less. According to the president of the region's urban planning commission, an agreement with companies in the sector would be "90% concluded" , reports the news site Roma Today .

In recent days, the mobilization has intensified, especially since a letter from the Italian architect Renzo Piano , published in La Repubblica, against the bill allowing developers to more easily transform cinemas into shopping centers. The architect believes that "the mistake that politicians often make, unfortunately, is to see these structures only as cinemas, forgetting that their use is broader (theaters, movie theaters, concert halls, theatrical performances, etc.) and that they could be transformed into what we call here in France third places."

Weakened by Covid and facing competition from the distribution of films on streaming platforms, the sector has lost around a hundred screens in the Italian capital. In the country in general, cinema attendance has fallen sharply in recent years. According to France Info , 2,000 screens have disappeared in Italy over the last two decades, a phenomenon that began well before the health crisis.