Italian Film Executives Launch New Distribution Company, Maestro

Veteran Italian film executive Claudio Rapino, producer Andrea Iervolino, and entrepreneur Pietro Peligra have joined forces to establish a new film and TV distribution company called Maestro. The company, which will make its debut at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin, plans to buy and distribute up to 10 international feature films annually.

Claudio Rapino, formerly head of acquisitions and sales at leading Italian companies such as Leone Film Group, Notorious Pictures, and Koch Media Italia, will lead Maestro. The company aims to be both an international sales agent and an incubator, developing film and TV content and selling original intellectual properties to producers and international partners.

Maestro’s approach involves handling a mix of finished products and content developed in collaboration with a team of writers. While predominantly focusing on non-Italian languages like French, German, and English, the company will not engage in physical production.

In terms of completed works, Maestro plans to acquire full rights to independent films primarily from the United States and Europe. Although the company will rely on an external service for theatrical releases, they will manage their own marketing efforts.

Alongside his production company ILBE Group, Andrea Iervolino, known for his work on films like Michael Mann‘s ‘Ferrari‘ and ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ starring Johnny Depp, sees Maestro as an additional source of financing through pre-sales. The establishment of Maestro Distribution allows for enhanced collaboration with Italian and international movie producers.

The third partner, Pietro Peligra, CEO of RS Productions, an expanding Italian indie and media group, believes Maestro Distribution captures an underutilized opportunity in the movie industry. RS Productions, through its network and expertise, will provide support to Maestro, driving benefits for both Italian and international movie producers.

The collaboration between Claudio Rapino, Andrea Iervolino, and Pietro Peligra represents an exciting new force in the Italian film industry as they launch Maestro Distribution. The company aims to innovate and redefine content creation, development, and distribution in and from Italy.