Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

History

The center is the oldest film school in Western Europe. It was founded in Rome in 1935, during the Fascist era, by Benito Mussolini's head of cinema, Luigi Freddi, and his son, Vittorio Mussolini, as part of the Cinecittà Studios. He aimed to revive the Italian film industry, but he was also aware of the propaganda value of films. He created the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte" ("cinema is the most powerful weapon").

During World War II, much of the original production equipment was stolen or destroyed by the Nazi occupiers. Many attempts to trace them in Germany and the Soviet Union after the war were unsuccessful.

Directors such as Michelangelo Antonioni and Giuseppe De Santis attended the school in the 1940s, and Marco Bellocchio would often visit during the 1960s.

In 1955, it became a founding member of the international CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision) network of film schools.

Description and aims

The Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC), or in English the Experimental Center of Cinematography, Headquartered in Rome, it also has five regional offices, in Abruzzo, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sicily, and Veneto.

It is known for its research and experimentation and offers a range of courses covering different aspects of making films. Courses are taught in English and Italian and run for three years. Entry is competitive, with only six to eight places available per class. It has a history of admitting a large number of international students and offers courses in acting, directing, cinematography, set design, costume design, screenwriting, sound design, film editing, film production, and, since 1983, animation.

Among the center's goals are the development of cinema and audiovisual art and techniques to levels of excellence through distinct sectors of the foundation itself, the National Film School, and the National Film Archive (Cineteca Nazionale). It is one of the oldest film archives in the world.

Governance and funding

The CSC was and still is financed by the Italian government. President Marta Donzelli, along with two board members, resigned in protest against the new legislation, which also abolished the position of the director-general. In August 2023, minister of culture Gennaro Sangiuliano announced the appointment of actor Sergio Castellitto as the new president, and a number of new board members, including Pupi Avati and Giancarlo Giannini.

, Adriano De Santis is head of the school.

Notable people

The school's mentors have included Piero Tosi (costumes), Giuseppe Rotunno (photography), and Giancarlo Giannini (acting).

Alumni include:

Directors

• Michelangelo Antonioni
• Giuseppe De Santis
• Luigi Zampa
• Pietro Germi
• Francesco Maselli
• Nanni Loy
• Folco Quilici
• Christian Filippella
• Domenico Distilo
• Lucio Fulci
• Emidio Greco
• Carlo Verdone
• Francesca Archibugi
• Liliana Cavani
• Umberto Lenzi
• Silvano Agosti
• Marco Bellocchio
• Roberto Faenza
• Fausto Brizzi
• Yasuzo Masumura
• Salvatore Mereu
• Gabriele Muccino
• Giuseppe Petitto
• Susanna Nicchiarelli
• Eros Puglielli
• Sergio Sollima
• Roberta Torre
• Paolo Virzì
• Veljko Bulajic
• Margaret Tait

Actors

• Giorgio Albertazzi
• Cristiano Caccamo
• Maria Pia Calzone
• Claudia Cardinale
• Andrea Checchi
• Carla Del Poggio
• Babak Karimi
• Sophia Loren
• Enrico Lo Verso
• Domenico Modugno
• Giovanni Morassutti
• Francesca Neri
• Rosalba Neri
• Lorenzo Richelmy
• Simona Tabasco
• Alida Valli

Cinematographers

• Nestor Almendros
• Philo Bregstein
• Pasqualino De Santis
• Vittorio Storaro

Costume designers

• Daniela Ciancio
• Anina Pinter

References

References

1. "Italian National film school".
2. (16 January 2024). "Scuola di Cinema Roma".
3. The Italian Tribune. (7 June 2018). "Italian Cinema Featuring the Early Genres and Cinecittà".
4. Verdone, Mario. (1951). "The Italian Cinema from Its Beginnings to Today". University of California Press.
5. Steinhart, Daniel. (2019). ''Runaway Hollywood: Internationalizing Postwar Production and Location Shooting''. University of California Press. p. 83. {{ISBN. 978-0-52-029864-4.
6. Fausto Montesanti, at the time director of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, in ''Sperduti nel buio... a mezzogiorno'', article appeared on ''Bianco e nero'', n. 6, of June 1953
7. Williams, G.. (1970). "CILECT — The Early Years". University of Illinois Press.
8. (10 January 2024). "Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia".
9. (26 December 2023). "Sedi Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia".
10. (15 December 2019). "Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Reviews & Admissions Statistics".
11. Laviosa, Flavia. (1 March 2021). "International students at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome: 1935–2020: A history to be written". Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies.
12. Kaval, Allan. (12 August 2023). "In Italy, the far-right government's move to overhaul prestigious film institution causes concern".
13. Scarpa, Federica. (4 October 2023). "Sergio Castellitto president of the CSC".
14. "Scuola Nazionale di Cinema/Docenti". Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
15. "Scuola Nazionale di Cinema/Ex allievi". Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
16. (8 February 2011). "Versione definitiva del 8 febbraio 2011 elenco exallievi CSC per sito web". Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.