Italian politicians are voting on a measure that could turn cultural venues in Rome, including 50 movie theatres, into shopping centres and supermarkets, but Martin Scorsese is campaigning to save them.
The vote follows asset management companies Colliers Global Investors and Wrm Capital winning a Rome real estate bankruptcy auction last month. They acquired nine cinemas for a reported €50million (over £41million). Some of the venues are still in operation, while others have been closed for some time.
Renzo Piano, an architect and Senator for Life in the Italian Senate, has shared a letter which has been endorsed by some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera has also spoken out against the vote, as has former international footballer Francesco Totti.
In a statement from Scorsese, he said: “As Renzo Piano eloquently reflects on the current situation in Rome, it is clear that the attempt to repurpose spaces intended for the possible cultural renaissance of the Eternal City into hotels, shopping centres, and supermarkets is utterly unacceptable. Such a transformation would represent an irrevocable loss: a profound sacrilege not only to the city’s rich history but also to the cultural legacy for the future generations.
“We call upon our colleagues across the globe, festival directors and all the cultural operators to sign this letter to save the last chance for redemption of one of the most important cultural and artistic cities worldwide.
“This letter is also personally addressed to President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to prevent any conversion of the cultural spaces in Rome. It’s our duty to transform these abandoned ‘cathedrals in the desert’ into true temples of culture, places capable of nourishing the souls of both present and future generations.”
In other Scorsese news, it was revealed last week that he could be teaming up with Dwayne Johnson for a new movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt also said to be involved. It’s been described as Goodfellas meets The Departed set in Hawaii, telling the tale of a real-life figure who “battled encroaching rivals for control of organized crime” on the islands.”
The iconic director also recently shared that he’s a fan of Robert Eggers and enjoyed his Nosferatu remake. He said, “It’s amazing. Anything this guy does, amazing. And that’s one [film] you don’t do much after seeing. You’re still in the world. You’re in Transylvania, and it’s really, [laughs] whoa. Man, he’s something.”
The post Martin Scorsese campaigns to avoid “irrevocable loss” of Rome’s iconic venues appeared first on NME.
