At a glance
- DANDI.media is an entertainment law firm in Rome and Genoa working with independent film and documentary producers, Italian and foreign, from development to distribution.
- We handle the contracts a production depends on: options, talent and crew agreements, co-production agreements, clearance, the Italian tax credit, Eurimages and distribution.
- Every file is followed by one of the founding partners. The first step is a 30-minute consultation.
An independent film is a chain of contracts: an option on the book, agreements with the writer and director, cast and crew, locations, music, archive, co-producers, financiers, broadcasters and distributors. Many producers discover only at delivery that a weak link early on blocks the tax credit, complicates a Eurimages application or leaves a gap in the chain of title that a broadcaster or an E&O insurer will not accept.
We work with producers to make sure that does not happen. DANDI.media | Entertainment Law & Co-Production Strategies advises Italian and international producers, documentary filmmakers, sales agents and distributors, and we are most useful when we are involved early, while the project is still taking shape.
Who we work with
Our clients are mostly Italian production companies developing films, documentaries and series, often with international partners, and foreign producers who want to co-produce with Italy, access the Italian tax credit or release in the Italian market. We also work with documentary filmmakers producing their own films, with independent collectives, and with the broadcasters, sales agents and distributors who acquire their work.
We are a boutique, not a high-volume firm. We take on a limited number of projects so that each one gets the attention of a partner.
What we do, from development to distribution
Development
The first contracts decide whether a project can be financed. We draft and negotiate option agreements on books, life stories and articles, letters of intent with partners, writer agreements with clear rules on rights and credit, and we check the chain of title before it becomes a problem.
Production
This is where the contract structure takes its final shape. We prepare co-production agreements, with the split of financing, rights by territory and window, credits and default clauses; director, cast and crew agreements, including image rights and the AI clauses required by the Italian tax credit; location agreements; releases from people filmed; and licences for music and archive material. We then organise the chain of title for registration with the Italian public film register (PRCA), the tax credit, Eurimages and delivery.
Tax credit and public funding
Italy’s production tax credit was reformed by Ministerial Decree no. 225 of 10 July 2024 and the guidelines that followed. Among other things, contracts with authors and performers must now include clauses on the use of their work, image or performance by AI systems, on pain of losing access to the credit. We draft those clauses, deal with the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate-General for Cinema on the film’s Italian nationality, handle PRCA registration and check eligibility for selective funds and regional film commission support. Our guide to Italian film tax credits explains the system.
International co-production
Italy has a wide network of bilateral co-production treaties and has ratified the revised Council of Europe Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. We structure bilateral and multilateral co-productions, check which treaty applies and whether the shares work, draft international contracts and coordinate with foreign film centres and with the producer’s own lawyers. We work often with the Balkans and Eastern Europe: see our guides to Italy–Serbia and Balkans co-productions and Eurimages applications.
Documentaries
Documentaries have needs of their own: releases from the people filmed, with particular care for minors and vulnerable subjects; mapping the rights in archive footage and photographs; managing sensitive or contested subjects; and planning festival releases and educational licensing.
Distribution and disputes
Many independent producers lose value at the distribution stage by accepting unfavourable terms. We negotiate distribution agreements, sales agent mandates, broadcaster and platform deals and festival agreements, and support the chain of title review for E&O insurance. When something goes wrong, we handle infringement claims, contract disputes with partners, image rights claims, and disputes over public funding or the tax credit.
Working with foreign producers
A large share of our clients are foreign producers, especially from the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Western European countries that co-produce regularly with Italy. We work in English throughout, draft contracts in English with Italian versions where the authorities require them, and coordinate with your home counsel. Just as useful, we explain how the Italian system really works: what is standard, what is negotiable and what is fixed. We are at many of the markets where co-productions with Italy are built, from the Berlinale EFM to Beldocs, Karlovy Vary and MIA in Rome.
How we work
Every file is handled by one of the founding partners, Avv. Claudia Roggero or Avv. Donato Di Pelino. We would rather be involved early, because a clean option agreement costs far less than repairing a broken chain of title at delivery.
Every engagement starts with a 30-minute consultation, which costs €150. If you then engage us, the €150 is deducted from the fee. After the call we send a written proposal with scope, timing and fees: a fixed fee for defined work, or an hourly rate with a capped budget, and for complex projects a plan with fees phased over the production. We do not work on contingency fees, and we do not handle corporate, M&A or tax accounting work beyond what a film project requires; for that we work alongside your advisors.
FAQ
How do I start working with DANDI.media?
Book a 30-minute consultation. It costs €150, which is deducted from the fee if you then engage us. Before the call, send a short description of the project, its stage, the territories already involved and any financing in place.
Do you work with first-time producers?
Yes. A first project is exactly when getting the contracts right from the start saves the most money and trouble.
Can you work in English?
Yes. We draft, negotiate and deliver contracts in English. Documents for Italian authorities are drafted in Italian or translated as part of the work.
Do you help with Eurimages applications?
Yes. An application needs a solid chain of title, co-production agreement, financing plan and national approvals, and preparation usually takes two to three months before submission.
Which countries do you work with?
Mostly producers from the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Western Europe, including Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany and France, as well as producers from North America.
Book a consultation
Book a consultation with Avv. Claudia Roggero or write to claudiaroggero@dandi.media or donatodipelino@dandi.media.
Useful links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Italian film tax credits | DANDI.media guide |
| Italy’s co-production treaties | DANDI.media guide |
| Italy–Serbia and Balkans co-productions | DANDI.media guide |
| Eurimages co-production requirements | DANDI.media guide |
| Option agreement for film rights | DANDI.media guide |
| Italian Ministry of Culture – Cinema and Audiovisual (DGCA) | cinema.cultura.gov.it |
| Eurimages – Council of Europe | coe.int/eurimages |
| Italy for Movies (film commissions) | italyformovies.it |
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