Tunisian-French media mogul Tarak Ben Ammar, the president of Eagle Pictures, has opened up about his relationships with Italian politicians and his plans to open a new film school in Italy. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, he talked about his affection for Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister of Italy, and his plans to open a $50 million studio near Rome.
“What I miss most about Berlusconi is his affection,” says Ben Ammar, “ I speak of Silvio as I do about my parents who passed away – with a smile. He was a great man with me. I helped him; I saw how much he suffered because of politics, and I think his illness eventually came from there as well.”
Ben Ammar is a businessman, having worked with Berlusconi and his media empire for years and advised others, including Rupert Murdoch, in their efforts to break into European television markets.
His newest ambition is to open a new film school, named Cinecittà 2. Although the planning is not complete, he hopes to open by the end of 2024 somewhere in the Lazio region of Italy, around Rome. For him, the biggest obstacle will not be the construction part but finding the staff and students that will complete the operation.
“I did that in Tunisia and then I’d hire the students to work on films in production,” he says. “I hope to attract great American directors and actors to come to Rome and do masterclasses. The school will be a public one and will be a great encouragement for young people who want to enter the fabulous world of cinema that is so difficult to enter today.”
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