The unstoppable innovator

25 years, and it feels like yesterday. What’s the very first thing that comes to mind — spontaneously, emotionally – as an instant snapshot of this long and solid adventure?
Enthusiasm. A constantly renewed enthusiasm. And challenges, yes. In these 25 years we have faced an endless sea of them. We were born digital, right at the heart of a technology that was still in its infancy, evolving at a furious pace. Every time a new technological mode emerged, so did a new challenge. When YouTube came along, we were already there, and we adapted. Same with Google, which arrived after us. It’s been a constant race. But that was just the beginning. Who could have foreseen the boom of social networks, for instance? Then came apps – everyone rushing to make one overnight – until we reached an even deeper, epochal revolution: Artificial Intelligence. This too is a challenge we will face with the same spirit as all the previous ones: with renewed enthusiasm.

What were your first sources of inspiration that set the spark for this innovative digital project?
I studied classical dance and was a professional dancer for many years. At some point, during the production of a show in Paris, I realized it was time to change, to shift my professional horizon. I loved the language of dance because, more than any other live art form, it embodies the idea of movement. My intuition was ‘simply’ to translate that idea into a technological direction. Paris was particularly advanced with the internet at the time, so I already had a strong source of inspiration at hand. I understood that it was a world driven by innovation and dynamism. And, strangely enough, I also saw a real affinity with the physical gesture of dance – with movement itself – because it freed the imagination while demanding rigor and discipline. We were at the end of the great century of modernity, but it was clear that the century of the future was opening. At that time, it took two minutes to load an image online, but for those who had the eyes and mind to see, it was obvious that it wouldn’t be long before we’d reach 4K, 8K. I intuited what the audiovisual could truly become in our time – exactly what it is today. In short, the inspiration was to transform the idea of live stage movement for a few spectators into an immensely expanded experience for a potentially infinite audience, in the most real way possible. Twenty-five years later, I can say without presumption that MYmovies has proven – and continues to prove – to be very good at precisely this.

The distinctive, innovative traits of MYmovies’ identity compared to other platforms, whether film-specific or not.
Maybe completeness, above all. We started by compiling reviews of every film from 1895 to today, then offered live streaming previews, and now, thanks to AI technology, users can query the platform even in natural language. And here we are now in Venice – the oldest and, along with Cannes, the most important festival in the world – hosting a major selection of films from the program on our platform. This level of completeness, I believe, is unmatched by any other film platform.

Numbers don’t say everything, but they say a lot, especially in your field. What do your numbers from yesterday, today, and tomorrow tell us?
I’m glad you asked, because it’s a source of great satisfaction: our numbers continue to grow. Not something obvious or even predictable, given that in a present dominated by social media – and now AI – it’s increasingly difficult, especially for young people, to go to a specific website, look up a film, and watch it there. And yet, in January 2025, Audiweb reported 1.9 million unique users per week for us – a significant increase over previous years. For a website born 25 years ago, in a field where everything changes by the hour, that’s nothing short of remarkable. But what does this growing number really tell us? In my view, that people still want to read, to go deeper – that they don’t settle for skimming a short synopsis from sources of uncertain origin. In short, by working well and embracing new technologies, I believe culture remains a field where one can still find great satisfaction.

In recent years, streaming festivals have become another of your chosen arenas. What has this step meant for you in such an already innovative and successful journey?
Festivals are another precious piece of our digital bet on culture. Specifically, our role here is to extend to an exponentially larger audience what a festival offers to a necessarily limited number of attendees, bound as such events are to specific territories. Taking festivals online allows them to communicate their message far beyond those borders – an extraordinary opportunity to spread their unique cultural identity. I believe the key word here is the one always invoked for cinema and the arts in general: sharing. It’s often said that cinema is about sharing, and lamented that this dimension is being lost. Well, I believe that, in its own way, our constantly updated technology – through our festival work and beyond – plays no small part in keeping that vital sense of shared cinema alive.

MYmovies’ entry into the GEDI group over 10 years ago consolidated your status as a leader in online cinema. Beyond recognition, what has this step concretely meant for you?
We joined the group in 2013, and after twelve years of collaboration I can say the outcome has been extremely positive. Before that, I had already been very fortunate to find two partners, Luciano Belli and Mario Mancini, with whom we made this project possible and helped it grow, along with the early contribution of Pino Farinotti, who oversaw our content in the initial phase. Then came our second phase – a kind of early adulthood – through collaboration with IBS of the Messaggerie Group, which strongly believed in our vision and provided crucial technological support. We were convinced of our ideas, but we were still young and needed entrepreneurial guidance. Finally, in 2013, we took the next step, joining the great Espresso (now GEDI) group. That gave us even more confidence in our abilities and in the validity of our vision.

This year, the entire group is here in Venice at the beautiful Blue Lounge, a hub for media and industry professionals by the sea. What goals are you setting for this new “home of cinema” at the Lido?
Our main goal is to join the other initiatives that Venice has launched over the years as a reference hub for films and their related services – welcoming producers, distributors, and the entire film industry in all its branches, including of course the media, of which our group is a part. We’re offering a welcoming space where industry professionals can step away from the chaos of the festival area for a few hours: to write, meet, share ideas, or simply have coffee by the pool. As for our own work, we’re focused on supporting and promoting the films that most need visibility, using our space for meetings, interviews, and aperitifs with directors, producers, and distributors. The Lounge will also host parties organized by distributors, who will find here an ideal setting, both elegant and understated.

Needless to say, the most anticipated party here is yours – the MYmovies 25 celebration!
It couldn’t have been anywhere else but here in Venice – the natural, perfect place to celebrate this milestone, just as we did 15 years ago for our tenth anniversary on the island of San Servolo. We were born here, at the Lido, on August 30, 2000. Conceived in Florence but brought into the world in Venice, in the midst of a festival edition directed by Alberto Barbera during his first tenure. Now he’s back, still at the helm, and we’re here again. So yes, it’s a truly special date for me, for us. I’m deeply attached to that moment, as you can imagine. There really could be no other place to celebrate this anniversary, together with friends, collaborators, and partners. It will be a great celebration of sharing – the true keyword that has guided and defined our journey.