Italy’s Film Co-Production Treaties: A Complete Introduction for Producers

Italy operates one of the most extensive networks of film co-production treaties in Europe: around forty bilateral agreements covering Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, plus the multilateral European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production. For Italian producers and their international partners, these treaties turn a transnational project into an “official co-production”, with access to each country’s funding, tax incentives and distribution channels.

This guide introduces the co-production treaty as a legal instrument and gives an overview of Italy’s treaty network. For specific country guides, see our international film co-productions guide (France, Germany, Spain, UK, USA, Japan), our Italy-Balkans guide and our Romania 30% cash rebate guide. For our full film and TV practice, see film lawyer in Italy.

What is a co-production treaty

A film co-production treaty is an international agreement that lets producers from the signatory countries make a film that counts as a national work in all of them at the same time. Treaties typically set:

• minimum and maximum contributions for each producer;
• creative, artistic and technical participation requirements;
• rules on cast, crew and shooting locations;
• the certification procedure with each country’s film authority;
• ownership of the master and sharing of rights and revenues.

Why co-produce officially

Official status, as distinct from service production or informal collaboration, gives the film:

• national status in each participating country, with full access to its audiovisual framework;
• public funding from each country’s national and regional film funds;
• tax incentives in each country, within the rules against double funding;
• European quotas under the AVMS Directive and national broadcasting quotas;
• access to Eurimages and Creative Europe MEDIA.

Bilateral treaty vs European Convention

• Bilateral treaty: specific to the two countries, with its own thresholds and procedures. Usually preferred for two-country projects where a treaty is in force.
• European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production: adopted by the Council of Europe in 1992 and revised in Rotterdam in 2017. Italy ratified the revised text with Law 169/2021, in force for Italy since 1 June 2022. The Ministry applies the 1992 or the 2017 text depending on which countries are involved, since not all of them have ratified the revision. See our European Convention guide.

For three or more countries, or where no bilateral treaty exists, the Convention is the natural framework.

Italy’s bilateral treaty network

The official list and texts are published by the Directorate-General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture. Among the agreements most used by our clients:

• Europe: France, Germany (in force since 2002), Spain (1998), Croatia and Hungary (both ratified by Italy in 2017), Serbia and the Balkans — see our Italy-Balkans guide. The old agreement with the former Yugoslavia still applies to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia;
• The Americas: Canada (signed 1997, in force since 1999) and Mexico (signed 2017, in force since 2022);
• Asia and beyond: Turkey (2011), Japan (signed 2023, in force since 9 August 2024), Kyrgyzstan (signed 2024).

The newest agreements

• China: the 2004 agreement expired on 16 April 2021 and applies only to co-productions started before then. A new agreement was signed in Beijing on 2 February 2026 and is not yet in force.
• South Korea: the first Italy-Korea agreement was signed on 7 September 2026 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and will apply once ratified. It returns to a 20-80% range, which both authorities can extend to 10-90%, and narrows it to 10-70% for multilateral co-productions with third countries. Article 9 makes each co-producer co-owner of the original master: a clause to read carefully, as we explain in our analysis on MediaLaws (in Italian).

There is no co-production treaty between Italy and the United States: US projects work through service production or through a European partner under the Convention.

The Ministry also runs bilateral development and co-production funds with France, Tunisia, Portugal and the Baltic States.

Qualification requirements

• Minimum and maximum shares: most bilateral agreements use a 20-80% range. Under the revised European Convention the minimum is 5% in a multilateral co-production, and 10% when the Convention is used for a bilateral co-production between two countries without a treaty.
• A point most producers miss: the Ministry’s selective fund for minority co-productions requires the Italian share to be at least 20% in a bilateral and 10% in a multilateral co-production. An Italian partner at 10% is a valid co-producer, but does not reach that fund.
• Creative and technical balance: the financial contribution should be matched by creative and technical participation.
• Personnel and locations: cast, crew and services from the participating countries; third-country shooting only within the limits of the treaty.
• Timing: co-production status must be requested before principal photography.

MiC certification procedure

For Italian co-producers, recognition is handled by the Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo: application before shooting with the co-production agreement and project documents, coordination with the foreign film authority, provisional recognition of nationality, and final recognition once the film is completed. The co-production agreement or deal memo must cite the treaty or convention applied.

Access to the Italian tax credit then follows D.I. MiC-MEF 225/2024, including the mandatory AI clause in Article 7(6) — see our Italian film tax credit guide.

Service production: the non-treaty alternative

Where no treaty applies, or co-production is not worth the complexity, an Italian company can provide production services to a foreign producer and access the Italian tax credit for foreign productions (40% of eligible Italian spend). The Italian company does not share in the ownership of the film: if it holds any rights, the credit is lost. This is the usual route for US productions in Italy.

Frequently asked questions

How many co-production treaties does Italy have?

Around forty bilateral agreements, plus the European Convention. The official list is published by the Ministry of Culture and is periodically updated as new agreements are signed or expire.

What is the minimum share for a co-producer?

Usually 20% under bilateral agreements. Under the revised European Convention, 5% in a multilateral co-production and 10% when it is used for a bilateral co-production between two countries without a treaty.

Is there an Italy-US co-production treaty?

No. US productions work in Italy through service production with an Italian executive producer, or through a European co-producer under the Convention.

Is the Italy-Korea agreement in force?

Not yet. It was signed on 7 September 2026 and will apply once both countries complete ratification.

When must co-production status be requested?

Before principal photography, with the co-production agreement or deal memo citing the applicable treaty.

How DANDI supports co-production structures

We support Italian producers and international partners with treaty analysis and partner search, co-production agreements in English or bilingual form, MiC recognition procedures, Convention and multilateral structures, service production for non-treaty partners, tax credit integration, and Eurimages and Creative Europe MEDIA applications.

For consultation, book directly with Avv. Claudia Roggero or Avv. Donato Di Pelino.

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