Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was in Rome on Thursday to celebrate the streaming giant’s 10th anniversary in Italy. To mark the occasion, Sarandos announced a “unique” partnership with Rome’s Cinema Experimental Center (CSC) film school to renovate and reopen Rome’s Cinema Europa cinema.
The Eternal City’s historic Cinema Europa, which was closed during the pandemic, will be renovated and become a space open for education, research and the promotion of the country’s film heritage. CSC will oversee the management and programming of the theater, which will become a new hub for film students and film enthusiasts of all ages.
“Cinema Europa is woven into the creative fabric of Italy,” Sarandos said at a press conference at Italy’s Ministry of Culture. “This is where exactly 120 years ago the first Italian film (Director Filoteo Alberini’s La Presa di Roma) was shown outdoors,” he said.
The press conference at the Italian Ministry of Culture began with a video address by Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. Mr. Salados sat alongside CSC President Gabriela Buontempo.
“CSC, which represents 90 years of Italian film history, will be partnering with Netflix, which represents the last 10 years of new film production,” Buontempo said, thanking Sarandos for Netflix’s “concrete” response to CSC’s need for support.
Centro Perimentale, located near Rome’s Cinecitta Studios, is not only the oldest film school in Western Europe, but also one of the most competitive in Italy. Students are selected through a rigorous audition process and enrolled in courses in production, directing, animation, screenwriting and other fields taught by top figures from the international film industry. Alumni include Oscar-winning director Michelangelo Antonioni and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.
Netflix is backing the project partnership with a €4 million ($4.6 million) sponsorship within a five-year deal. This investment will cover a portion of facility renovation and management costs, as well as a variety of cultural and educational activities. The streaming giant will take part in the launch of what is being described as a new film “laboratory” in the Italian capital.
The opening of Cinema Europe is scheduled to take place at the end of 2026.
Commenting on Netflix’s presence in Italy over the past decade, Sarandos emphasized that “we have collaborated with some of Italy’s best storytellers and producers to create talent,” adding, “We have released more than 1,000 films and series from Italy.”
He also said that Netflix has supported more than 5,500 jobs in Italy’s audiovisual sector over the past five years, and that the streaming giant’s investments from 2021 to 2024 contributed 1.1 billion euros ($1.27 billion) to Italy’s economy.
Eleonora Andreatta, Netflix’s vice president of Italian originals, was also present, and in an interview with Variety ahead of the press conference, she delved into the details of the streamer’s 10-year run in Italy, which has produced around 50 Italian originals that are among Netflix’s global top 10, out of more than 1,000 titles produced in Italy.
