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#AnicaAcademy ETS, born with the primary objective of creating ideas, manage and organize training courses, basic and highly specialized, in the cinema and audiovisual professions, created the first Intimacy Coordinator course in Italy thanks to Safe Set, to Sky Italia through the contribution of Sky Studios and Netflix as promoter of the initiative and organized the meeting: “INTIMACY COORDINATOR IN ACTION – Profile and role of the IC”.
President Francesco Rutelli participated for Anica Academy ETS, the General Secretary Francesca Medolago Albani and Sergio del Prete, Director of Anica Academy ETS, which he stated: “The central objective of today's meeting is to stimulate a reflection on the role of the Intimacy Coordinator in the creative and productive field, working to integrate this figure in a synergistic way into the cinema and television supply chain thanks to the participation and involvement of professionals. These efforts aim precisely to catalyze a discussion within the Italian audiovisual industry, preparing it to effectively welcome the figure of the Intimacy Coordinator, increasingly requested on the sets of Italian productions. We hope that the Intimacy Coordinators of the future, currently in training and destined to enter the job market, find a more aware and prepared sector to effectively integrate this key figure".
Thanks to the contribution of moderator Piera Detassis, President and Artistic Director of the Academy of Italian Cinema and the speeches of the guests present Chiara d'Alfonso – Head of Production Italy at Netflix, Luisa Lazzaro – Certified Intimacy Coordinator, Vittoria Puccini – Actress and President of UNITA, Edoardo De Angelis – Director and Francesco Vedovati – Casting Director
During the meeting we discussed what this role is and how it operates on the sets and what its responsibilities are, what led to the need for this professional figure as well as examples of film or television productions in which there was the involvement of an Intimacy Coordinator. Furthermore, drawing on the personal experience of guests, we talked about the benefits of having the Intimacy Coordinator on set and how this figure contributes to ensuring safety, comfort and respect during intimate scenes and to prevent situations of abuse or harassment. The challenges and controversies that this role could encounter in our country and its possible implementations in the Italian audiovisual industry were also analysed..
This is how Piera Detassis – Moderator began: “In the role of Intimacy Coordinator, First of all, I notice a significant opportunity: the opening of a new professional figure in the job market, absolutely contemporary and in keeping with new social models. Initially, perhaps there was some resistance from the directors and perhaps even from some actors towards this role, since the Intimacy Coordinator could be perceived as interfering in the artistic act and creative freedom. Of course, today this resistance seems to have been overcome since the IC carries out a job of calming and rationalizing relational dynamics. When talking about this topic, we are not just referring to sex scenes but involve everything that concerns the most intimate and direct relationship between the protagonists and the protagonists. The presence of the Intimacy Coordinator is important to reassure, in particular, the actresses and women who work on the sets, helping to create a more peaceful working environment and, then, It is not just those directly involved who benefit but all those involved in the production of a work."
Luisa Lazzaro – Certified Intimacy Coordinator added “I would like to say that I arrived today directly from a set, so I can share a recent experience. There was a semi-nude scene, I would define it as an exposed scene because it was shot outdoors, then, let's even say a situation of extreme sharing. I must say that my presence allowed us to highlight some aspects that could easily be forgotten: the fact of paying attention to external eyes that did not invade the scene, making sure it was a truly intimate moment reserved for the people strictly necessary at that moment, it was essential. My presence and communication of the sensitive nature of the scene had a major impact on everyone, it was like a domino effect, Not only did the actress feel supported shooting a scene that showcased her vulnerability because it was intense enough, but also on the rest of the set he created a general harmony. I must say that this gave me a wonderful feeling.”
THE ANICA ACADEMY ETS INTIMACY COORDINATOR COURSE in numbers
The first course took place in September 2023 and was held by important professionals in the sector operating in Italy and abroad, to guarantee complete preparation and certification in line with the highest international standards. In particular, the total hours of the training course exceed the current industry standard by more 75 hours of direct training (plus additional complementary courses) and place the Anica Academy ETS training course / Safe Sets on par with SAG-Aftra certification criteria (USA) it's #BECTU (UK) for the employment of qualified intimacy coordinators.
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