Timber, horses and dollars in free currency: Film policy cycles and the Italian-Yugoslav 1957 co-production agreements

Abstract

In this article, we analyse the Italian and Yugoslav film co-productions in the context of the eastern/western politics of the Cold War era. In December 1957, the two countries signed their first co-production agreements, designed to foster reciprocal industrial and artistic cooperation. Although only two official co-productions were made, until the late 1960s, the two film industries cooperated on the making of about 40 films, during which time Yugoslav companies were denied artistic control and downgraded to a labour and locations supplier. By examining archival sources, we demonstrate that Italian state bureaucracy had a pivotal role in making film co-production an organizational field where subjects and institutions interact, regulate power relations and communicate. This allows us to highlight the role of co-production as a form of management of international relations, focusing on issues such as the lack of balance between partners and the financial rationale behind these arrangements.