What happened
The Italian Senate gave final approval to bill AS 2035, "Disposizioni in materia di cinema", on 4 November 2026, by 123 votes with none against. The law reforms the 2016 cinema framework and creates the Agenzia per il cinema e l'audiovisivo, a public body that starts on 1 January 2028.
According to the Senate research service's dossier, article 1 says public policy should promote responsible use of AI systems in film and audiovisual production, with transparency towards the public and protection for authors, performers and other rights holders, in line with EU and Italian AI law. Article 2 sets up a Forum del cinema e dell'audiovisivo whose tasks include monitoring the impact of AI on the sector.
Why it matters
For Italian producers, directors and performers, the AI clause sets a direction rather than a procedure. The law gives the government 24 months from entry into force to rewrite the sector's rules by decree, and Diritto.it's summary lists rules on AI use in works among the criteria for those decrees.
Still open
As of 8 November, the latest report found, from Diritto.it on 5 November, said the law was awaiting publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, so the entry-into-force date is unknown. The delegation article's AI criteria, which may cover consent for the use of performances, could not be read in full.