welfare, let’s do it all together, albeit separate,” says Italian actor Alessandro Gassman (star of  I bastardi di Pizzofalcone TV series) and son of legendary Italian actor Vittorio Gassman. “It’s a difficult moment, a complicated one, strange days indeed we’re living, and yet I’m convinced that we shall overcome it if we follow the rules. #IoRestoaCasa, (I’m staying home) is not only trending but the new motto of Italian society and of the entertainment industry as a whole in the era of Covid-19. The disease has already killed thousands of people in the country, currently second only to China on the impact of the virus. Italian film and TV productions, music and theater, have immediately complied with lockdown rules that the Italian government imposed on every “non-essential” business.  Italy is quarantined and all 60 million citizens are ordered to stay home. Pursuant to the decree signed on March 8th by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, first imposed on Northern Italy (heavily hit by the Covid) and later extended to the whole country, virtually the entire economy is shut down. Schools are closed, sports halted, every single film and TV production shut down, as well as theater, concerts and shows of any kind and size.

Il postino):  “I’d like to remind everybody to follow the rules without any exception or wavering. I know that especially young people might get bored to stay home all day long, but please let’s collaborate in this. Let’s treat our society as it was a movie set: collaborating, everyone, for one only and single goal. In this case the victory over the virus and the complete healing.”

mso-ansi-language:EN-US’>All music tours and upcoming festivals have been canceled, including the very much awaited  Firenze Rocks with Guns n’ Roses set for June 12^th, 2020. Everything has been postponed to a date to be determined. In the meantime, most Italian musicians, songwriters, and entertainers such as Jovanotti, Ligbue, Nek, Fiorello,  are offering “home concerts” for their fans, little musical snippets – often improvised –  posted on Instagram or Facebook that are going viral.  People have taken to playing concerts from their balcony at 6 pm (it has become a tradition in these last two weeks of lockdown), either playing an instrument, singing all together, flash-mob style, or publishing on YouTube an emotional version of  “Va Pensiero” taped by individual singers on their cellphones and then edited together.

  March 25-29, has been postponed to a date tbd. All domestic productions have been put on stand-by, as have many international productions: including tentpoles like the new Mission: Impossible, set to be shot in several locations around Italy (mainly Venice and Rome) which was halted.  Cinecitta’ Studios in Rome, the pulsating heart of the Italian film industry, have been closed for the time being. Many movies close to their release dates in theaters have seen their opening canceled, such as the new Carlo Verdone comedy A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with Tom Hanks, a beloved and very popular actor in Italy. The filming of season 5 of the very popular TV show  Gomorrah (an international hit) was supposed to start shooting in Naples and Rome mid-March, but it has also been abruptly stopped, with no new starting date as of yet in sight.

momentarily supporting Italian artists is the  “Nuovo Imaie”, with a special fund of 5 million euros for the music and audio-visual sector.