In Beijing, Minister Giuli and Shen Haixiong signed the new film co-production agreement between Italy and China. This will provide greater opportunities, funding, and visibility for the two countries' cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On February 2, 2026, in Beijing, Shen Haixiong and Alessandro Giuli signed the "Agreement on Film Co-production between the Governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Italy." The agreement was signed on behalf of the Chinese State Administration of Cinema and the Italian Ministry of Culture, establishing an updated institutional framework after several years of regulatory vacuum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new agreement is part of the Ministry of Culture's strategy to support the internationalization of the Italian film industry by promoting joint projects with one of the world's leading film industries. The stated goal is to enable Italian and Chinese filmmakers to collaborate more easily on joint projects, reducing bureaucratic obstacles and strengthening mutual support for the production and distribution of works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The previous bilateral co-production agreement between Italy and China expired in 2021, leaving the sector without an official instrument to support joint projects for several years. The 2026 protocol reestablishes this regulatory framework and provides new impetus to the internationalization of the Italian film industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement comes at a time when international co-productions are considered crucial for accessing global markets, distributing works, and participating in festivals. For Italy, cooperation with China means engaging with a rapidly expanding market, from major digital platforms to theatrical circuits, while keeping creative talent and the national cultural heritage at the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement includes a series of measures aimed at facilitating Italian-Chinese film co-production and strengthening synergies along the entire supply chain, from writing to distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the key points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Undersecretary of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni, the milestone reached in Beijing represents a further step forward along this path, towards a shared future founded on Italian creative talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Italian audiovisual companies and professionals, the new Italy-China co-production agreement translates into a series of concrete benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the viewer, this will translate into a greater offering of films that tell the story of the encounter between different cultures, languages, and sensibilities, but with high production standards and more widespread distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China Media Group, led by Shen Haixiong, is China's leading audiovisual production and digital platform group and plays a central role in the development strategy of China's film and audiovisual sector. The signing of the agreement with Minister Giuli confirms the Group's commitment to investing in co-productions that can reach a global audience, integrating Chinese industrial expertise with Italy's creative tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Italian Ministry of Culture, through its Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, frames the agreement within a broader international promotion project for Italian cinema, which includes selective calls for proposals, tax incentives, and branding initiatives such as dedicated showcases at foreign festivals. In this context, the agreement with China becomes an operational tool for transforming cultural diplomacy into concrete projects and titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, several co-productions between Italy and China have already experimented with forms of collaboration, especially in the historical and documentary fields, anticipating the potential now being relaunched at the institutional level. The new agreement offers the opportunity to consolidate these paths and open new ones, including in the most popular genres such as genre cinema, animation, and series for platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge for producers and writers will be to craft stories that speak to both cultures, avoiding simplifications and stereotypes, and making the most of the locations, talent, and technologies of both countries. If used well, the 2026 Italy-China Film Co-production Agreement could become a key element in the presence of Italian cinema on the global stage, contributing to the economic development of the sector and the dissemination of Italy's cultural image worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n