Italian film producer Fulvio Lucisano dies at 98

Fulvio Lucisano, a prominent Italian film producer who shaped the country's cinema industry for more than seven decades, died at age 98. His daughters Paola and Federica confirmed his death through a social media post.

Born in Rome on August 1, 1928, Lucisano began his career in the late 1940s at the Istituto Luce, where he worked on documentary production. He earned a degree in law in 1954, though his family had hoped he would practice as an attorney. By 1949, however, he was already involved in film work, participating in the documentary "Anno Santo."

In 1958, Lucisano founded Italian International Film (IIF), which became one of the most solid and influential independent production and distribution companies in Italy. The company later became Lucisano Media Group in 2014 and was listed on the stock exchange. Under his leadership, the company produced over 600 films across various genres and periods of Italian cinema history.

Lucisano's filmography included titles such as "Ricomincio da tre," "Il grande cocomero," and "Ninfa plebea." He worked across multiple sectors of the film industry, including production, distribution, television, and cinema theaters. His approach to filmmaking was characterized by direct personal involvement and entrepreneurial instinct, as he invested his own money in projects and maintained a keen sense of popular appeal.

Throughout his later years, Lucisano remained actively engaged with the industry. He regularly accompanied his daughters to film presentations, maintaining a presence in the cinema world until his final days. His daughters Federica and Paola have inherited and continue his artistic legacy through Lucisano Media Group.

Journalist Sergio Fabi described Lucisano as "the King of producers who was still alive, the last of the great producers who truly made the history of great cinema."