The city of Rimini is known for its famous son, Federico Fellini, the genius director behind the likes of La Dolce Vita and Nights of Cabiria, but it’s now home to the Italian Global Series Festival (IGSF) too. The first edition of the fest has been taking place this week, bringing the likes of The Assassins, Sandokan and Bookish to the sunny seaside locale.
Given the growing number of TV festivals around the world, launching something new is always a challenge, and we were keen to hear from Marco Spagnoli, the Artistic Director of the IGSF about how this first attempt has been going, ahead of the event’s finish this weekend. “I feel like when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were on the moon,” was one assessment of the whirlwind proceedings from the engaging programmer and film director.
Stars such as Bookish creator Mark Gatiss, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and Turkey’s Can Yaman – who drew over a thousand fans to the red carpet on Monday night – sprinkled stardust on the event, which controversially awarded one of its Maximo Excellence Awards to Kevin Spacey, who was in town as he continues his attempts to revamp his image and career.
Anecdotally, there is much support for the aims of the IGSF and the varied selection of the shows screening – which span from cozy crime to period drama to challenging miniseries from across Europe. One observer noted how it was refreshing to have an event that bypasses an industry element and focuses purely on a free-to-attend screenings program. Masterclasses were well attended for the most part and there was a real sense of occasion when Yaman took to the red carpet before the Maximo Excellence Awards and for the screening of his show, Sandokan, the following evening. Expect to hear his name more going forwards.
Can Yaman before the ‘Sandokan’ screening on June 24
Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Italian Global Series Festival
We’ve also heard of disappointment about the numbers at certain screenings, which primarily appears to be due to scheduling clashes and confusion over venues. Whether having screenings in both Rimini and neighboring Riccione was the right idea is up for question. There were also raised eyebrows and grumbles about the attendance of Kevin Spacey, who jetted over to pick up an award. An accompanying talk between the Usual Suspect star and Spagnoli yesterday saw Spacey draw large support from the public in attendance, but you only have to look below the line on the report we wrote from the interview to know how deep feelings go about him within the entertainment world.
Yesterday, Deadline sat down with the ever-animated and engaging Spagnoli at the Palariccione building, where many of the screenings and talks have taken place, to get his frank take on IGSF’s first attempt to secure its place on the international TV calendar.
DEADLINE: We’re coming towards the end of the festival, with days to go now. What’s your assessment of year one so far?
MARCO SPAGNOLI: I feel like when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were on the moon and they had to start the engine to attach the Lunar Module to the capsule and get back to Earth. Nobody had ever pushed a button on the moon before, and then the engine has started. What has been amazing is the reaction of the audience – Can Yaman attracted 1,100 people.
DEADLINE: Given what you wanted to achieve before the festival, how closely has the reality aligned with your goals?
MS: This is a festival about three things: Quality, entertainment and the element of surprise. You were surprised by how many people turned up on the red carpet for a Turkish actor in Italy, and this is what I’m talking about. The Pope is ecumenic and has to hug everybody – and we want the IGSF to hug everybody as well. It’s important for me you can see high-brow series and the most popular shows in the same place. I grew up reading comics and Greek philosophy, watching Star Wars and Fellini.
DEADLINE: So how did that translate to how you selected projects for the festival?
MS: We needed to have substance. I am a man of content and we have to take risks and plant the seeds. This is TV, and it is different to film, but still we need to communicate about it. If a tree falls in the forest and no-one hears it, the tree doesn’t make a sound. We want to make sounds. If you select returning shows, you will attract more numbers than if you select something new. That’s true and the statistics prove it, but, let’s face it, a festival must let you discover something.
DEADLINE: I’ve been asking people here about their own screenings and attending other screenings. My sense is they feel the standard is excellent, but people have wondered why so many were scheduled against each other. Why was that?
MS: It’s because we didn’t have much time and because we received so many entries. When I took the job, I said the jackpot would be 70 shows [entered], because I can then create a competition of around 24, maybe divide them into three eights, and I will be happy. We received 150. I had my 24, but then I saw another wonderful show, and we made it 25 and then I saw another, and another. We were submerged. I know it’s maybe too much. The other thing is we were screening for the audience and the press separately, so we could spread the word. Otherwise, many of these amazing stories coming from far away won’t get any publicity and it would be a shame culturally. We needed the substance, and we needed to try.
Kevin Spacey and Marco Spagnoli speak on the stage during the Italian Global Series Festival on June 25
Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Italian Global Series Festival
DEADLINE: How do you respond to those who think it is wrong or distasteful to have awarded Kevin Spacey with a Maximo Excellence award?
MS: I want to clarify that this is a retrospective recognition, based solely on artistic merit. He has been declared innocent of all criminal charges brought against him in two courts of law and we are recognising his enduring contributions to TV, film, and theatre as part of IGSF’s extensive week long programme alongside other winners. The TV festival is acknowledging his groundbreaking performance in House of Cards as one of the first Oscar-winning actors to lead a long-running series, which was a testament to his artistic brilliance and marked a pioneering TV moment, setting a new standard in serialized storytelling. We made a bold choice, but I believe festivals should also be spaces where complex issues are addressed.
DEADLINE: There are an increasing number of Italian TV festivals, markets and conferences. Can the country sustain them all?
MS: Maybe the next step is to federate all the series festivals and divide the programming, so you see some things at some places and other things somewhere else. I don’t know the answer, but we need to watch things.
DEADLINE: When you look ahead to 2026, what are the areas you will look to improve and what will you be taking forwards from this year?
MS: We need to go on a diet, not in terms of numbers, but to decide what we do and where we screen. We have to be more accurate and coordinated – the screenings and launches have run late. We also need to anticipate the surprises better. We will polish the car. What will not change is the core of the festival: To bring talent and showcase shows. You come here and after three days will have a good idea of what Italian or European production looks like. What we will change is the fact we have to adjust the timings of the screenings and understand better how to divide them. This is organic and we are learning. During the Apollo 11 mission, I’m sure they said, ‘Next time, we’ll make the chairs more comfy and bring more water.’
