Rai Cinema was formed as a spin-off of
RAI's former
Acquisto, Produzione e Vendita (APV) branch. The company was incorporated on 1 December 1999, and operations commenced on 1 June 2000.
Giuliano Montaldo was appointed its first president, a role he held until 2004.
Franco Scaglia took over following Montaldo's departure, and remained in the position until 2013. Paolo Del Brocco was elected CEO in 2010. By 2010, Rai Cinema had contributed to the production of over 300 films, investing a total of €425 million. In 2004, the company invested around €30 million in production costs for its films. That figure increased to €45 million in 2010 and €65 million in 2015. In May 2018, Rai Cinema joined the Globalgate Entertainment
consortium. In 2022, the company invested €85 million in the production of 80 films. ==Divisions and subsidiaries==