The studios were founded in 1937 by
Benito Mussolini, his son
Vittorio, and his head of cinema
Luigi Freddi under the slogan "''Il cinema è l'arma più forte
" ("Cinema is the most powerful weapon"). The purpose was not only for propaganda, but also to support the recovering Italian feature film industry, which had reached its low point in 1931. Mussolini himself inaugurated the studios on 21 April 1937. Post-production units and sets were constructed and heavily used initially. Early films such as Scipio Africanus (1937) and The Iron Crown (1941) showcased the technological advancement of the studios. Seven thousand people were involved in the filming of the battle scene from Scipio Africanus'', and live elephants were brought in as a part of the re-enactment of the
Battle of Zama. During World War II it became a German army barracks and was stripped of all electrical equipment with its sound stages smashed and gutted. The studios were bombed by the
Western Allies during the
bombing of Rome in World War II. Following the war, between 1945 and 1947, the studios of Cinecittà were used as a
displaced persons' camp for a period of about two years, following German occupation and Allied bombing that destroyed parts of the studio. An estimated 3,000 refugees lived there, divided into two camps: an Italian camp housing Italians as well as displaced people from Italian Libya and Dalmatia, and an international camp, including refugees from Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, Iran, and China. After rebuilding in the postwar years by MGM's Henry Henigson for
Quo Vadis, and the studios were for many years closely associated with Fellini. In the same period, the studios were used for further international productions such as
Francis of Assisi (1961),
Cleopatra (1963),
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), Zeffirelli's
Romeo and Juliet (1968), ''
Fellini's Casanova (1976), La Traviata'' (1982) and many other productions. It hosted the
Eurovision Song Contest 1991. This was the 36th
Eurovision Song Contest and was held on Stage 15. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia,
RAI decided to move the contest from
Sanremo to Rome which was perceived to be more secure. After a period of near-
bankruptcy, the Italian Government
privatized Cinecittà in 1997, selling an 80% stake. In July 2012, another fire damaged Teatro 5, the vast studio where Fellini filmed
La Dolce Vita and
Satyricon (1969). A third fire in August 2022 destroyed part of a partially dismantled set depicting Renaissance-era
Florence and disrupted filming of the sequel to
The Old Guard. Since the 1990s, films have included
Anthony Minghella's
The English Patient (1996) and
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999),
Martin Scorsese's
Gangs of New York (2002),
Wes Anderson's
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004),
Mel Gibson's
The Passion of the Christ (2004),
Edward Berger's
Conclave (2024),
Luca Guadagnino's
Queer (2024) and
Terry Gilliam's
Carnival: At the End of Days (TBA). ==Notable TV productions==