Eco-Sustainability

For the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, sustainability means integrating environmental considerations into its cultural, educational, organisational and management activities.

It means helping to raise awareness through films and events, supporting the audiovisual industry in moving towards more responsible production models, and taking practical action to reduce energy consumption and improve the efficiency of its buildings.

Our aim is to make this commitment increasingly measurable, shared and transparent, involving professionals, collaborators, partners and the public.

CinemAmbiente

Founded in Turin in 1998, CinemAmbiente is one of the leading international festivals dedicated to environmental films and documentaries. Through screenings, meetings, debates and activities held throughout the year, the Festival promotes cinema as a tool for knowledge, participation and awareness of the major ecological and social issues of our time.

Particular attention is given to younger generations through CinemAmbiente Junior, the national competition inviting schools to explore environmental issues by producing short films. The project encourages students to develop awareness, critical thinking and audiovisual skills.

An international network

CinemAmbiente is a founding member of the Green Film Network, which brings together some of the world’s leading film festivals dedicated to environmental issues.

Dialogue with other festivals makes it possible to share films, knowledge and experience and to contribute to the international dissemination of environmental culture through cinema.

A festival committed to reducing its impact

CinemAmbiente’s environmental commitment concerns not only the content it presents, but also the way the Festival itself is organised. The Festival adopts measures aimed at reducing the impact of its activities, limiting the use of plastic and favouring recycled materials or materials with environmental certifications.

TorinoFilmLab

Since 2008, TorinoFilmLab has supported international talent and professionals through training, development, funding and networking programmes. Over the course of its activities, it has contributed to the production of around 270 films and series and to the creation of an international community of more than 2,300 professionals.

In recent years, TorinoFilmLab has integrated environmental sustainability, together with social and economic sustainability, both into its own organisation and into the programmes it offers the audiovisual industry. The aim is to address the entire production chain: from story development and professional training to filming and post-production.

This process began with dedicated financial support schemes.

The White Mirror Award, established in 2019, supports writers developing screenplays that address environmental and sustainability issues. Since 2020, the Green Filming Award has helped cover the additional costs involved in adopting sustainable strategies during filming.

International programmes

Through international workshops and programmes, TorinoFilmLab trains professionals to integrate sustainability into both production processes and audiovisual storytelling.

These include:

• Green Film Lab
  Since 2022, intensive workshops aimed at promoting eco-friendly audiovisual production protocols.
• Green Production Lab
  A programme launched in 2024 to train sustainability professionals to work within production and post-production teams.
• Green Narratives
  An online workshop dedicated to climate storytelling and to developing the skills needed to integrate environmental themes into stories.
• Green Latam Lab
  Since 2025, a workshop for Latin American professionals designed to develop expertise in sustainable production.

TorinoFilmLab also applies sustainability principles to its own events and day-to-day activities. For the past four years, the TFL Meeting Event has followed a ISO 20121 certification process, the international standard for sustainable event management. A CO₂ calculator has also been developed to measure impacts and establish improvement targets.

A dedicated page on the website brings together all the initiatives implemented in support of sustainability, including guidelines and policies developed specifically to reduce the impact of all the Lab’s internal and external activities.

Cinema Massimo

In 2023, work to improve the environmental efficiency of Cinema Massimo was completed, with funding from the Italian Ministry of Culture as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The project focused on renewable energy generation, lighting, climate control and the building’s overall energy efficiency, with the aim of reducing consumption and improving comfort for both audiences and staff. 

Measures implemented

• Solar energy
  Installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof to generate energy from renewable sources.
• Lighting
  Replacement of existing lighting systems with lower-consumption LED solutions.
• Climate control
  Replacement of obsolete cooling units and optimisation of the climate-control systems.
• Roofing and insulation
  Refurbishment of the roof, installation of new insulation and replacement of deteriorated waterproofing membranes.

The TERE Project

The Museo Nazionale del Cinema takes part in TERE – Transizione Ecologica del Terzo Settore, a pilot programme promoted by Fondazione Santagata, in collaboration with and with the support of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, to support Third Sector organisations on their path towards ecological transition.

Over the course of approximately six months, the Museum carried out an in-depth assessment of its starting position and received ongoing support through targeted consultancy and practical monitoring tools. This process led to the development of a decarbonisation roadmap integrated into its strategic plans, as well as the implementation of a pilot action aimed at reducing its environmental impact. Participation in TERE has helped strengthen the Museum’s understanding of its environmental impacts and provide a more structured framework for future actions.

Communicating Sustainability

The Museo Nazionale del Cinema is one of thirteen organisations selected for the TERE project, which supports cultural and social organisations in North-West Italy in understanding, monitoring and progressively reducing their environmental impacts.

As part of the programme, the Museum has developed a pilot initiative aimed at raising public awareness: a video in Italian and English about the environmental impact of film production.

The video will be included in the programme shown on the LED wall on the Reception Level of the Mole Antonelliana, becoming part of the Museum’s exhibition route. Through images and content accessible to an international audience, it will explore the environmental impact associated with producing an audiovisual work and present the Museum’s commitment to adopting decarbonisation practices and, more broadly, to environmental sustainability.

The aim is to encourage visitors to reflect on the relationship between cinema and the environment, showing how the audiovisual sector can also contribute to the ecological transition.

The actions undertaken so far represent one stage in a broader journey. The Museo Nazionale del Cinema intends to progressively strengthen the measurement of its environmental impacts, internal training, the sustainability of its events, the efficiency of its spaces and the communication of results.

This page will be updated to document progress, share new projects and make data, tools and further resources accessible.