The Apulia Film Commission
The experience of the Apulia Film Commission represents a model of public policy that recognises the audiovisual sector not only as a strategic industry, but also as a fundamental tool for cultural growth, public engagement and the building of a collective identity. In Apulia, cinema and the audiovisual sector have become a permanent cultural infrastructure, capable of generating economic value and skilled employment whilst, at the same time, strengthening the link between production, the local area and the community.
Within this vision, audience development and the dissemination of audiovisual culture form a structural pillar of the Apulia Film Commission’s work. Il Bif&st – Bari International Film&Tv Festival, prodotto e promosso dall’ente, ne rappresenta il principale strumento di policy culturale. Over the years, the festival has become a mechanism capable of cultivating new audiences, broadening and diversifying viewership, encouraging cinema attendance and reinforcing the role of audiovisual media as a shared cultural experience. In this sense, Bif&st acts as an intangible infrastructure connecting production, consumption and participation, contributing to the development of an informed cultural citizenship.
From an industrial perspective too, the break with the past is stark. Before the establishment of the Apulia Film Commission, in over a century of cinema history, around 120 films had been made in Apulia. Between 2007 and 2025, over 850 audiovisual projects were filmed in the region, including films, documentaries, television series, dramas, short films and music videos. This paradigm shift has redefined Puglia’s image as a competitive and reliable location for national and international productions, but has also helped to build a stable cultural ecosystem, in which the growth of productive output goes hand in hand with an expansion of opportunities for public engagement and interaction.
The Apulia Film Commission now acts as the strategic coordinator of the regional audiovisual sector, operating across several integrated levels: attracting productions, supporting the industry supply chain, developing professional skills and building audiences. Within this framework, the Apulia Film Fund is the central instrument of industrial policy. Considering the 2020–2024 period alone, 139 audio-visual projects were funded with €29.8 million in public resources, generating direct economic benefits of €79.6 million and indirect benefits estimated at €160 million. An economic multiplier effect that demonstrates how public investment, when guided by a systemic vision, is not a cost but a catalyst for development, with widespread benefits for skilled employment, local businesses and services.
These policies have also had a decisive impact in countering the brain drain. Investing in productions, project development, services and infrastructure has meant creating ongoing professional opportunities for Apulian workers, creators and businesses, reducing the need to migrate to other regions. The presence of an active production market and a structured cultural offering has helped to retain and attract skilled human capital, transforming Apulia from a transit region into a place where long-term professional and creative careers can be built.
The Apulia Film Commission’s work is complemented by a comprehensive system of permanent services and infrastructure: the Production Guide, which lists thousands of skilled workers and hundreds of companies; the location scouting service; and a network of cultural and production hubs comprising the Cineporti, the Apulian Regional Media Library and the Apulia Film House. These venues do not operate solely as support for productions, but as spaces for access, training and participation, strengthening the link between the audio-visual sector and local communities.
The Apulia Film Commission’s experience demonstrates how public intervention can have a structural impact on the economy and society. The audio-visual sector thus becomes one of the cornerstones of a development model that integrates industry, culture and the public, combining economic growth, territorial identity and social cohesion. Within this framework, the Apulia Film Commission establishes itself not only as a regional film commission, but as an agent of active cultural policy, capable of placing works, professionals and the public at the centre.
