Amazon donates €1m to Italian Covid-19 fund to support entertainment biz

Georgia Brown

Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios have pledged €1million to help support the Italian entertainment industry though the Covid-19 pandemic.

The donation is being made to Scena Unita, an emergency fund created by a group of Italian artists and celebrities, including actor Carlo Verdone and rapper Achille Lauro, with the support of Amazon Prime Video as the primary donor.

The fund is also open to donations from other companies and was created to aid those most likely to suffer an impact on their lives and career in the TV and film production industries, theatre, comedy, live music and other artistic sectors.

The project is supported by CESVI, an independent organisation that has been working for more than 30 years throughout humanitarian emergencies across the world, in collaboration with the group La Musica Che Gira and the social enterprise Music Innovation Hub.

Amazon Prime Video’s €1million donation to the Italian fund comes as part of its larger $6million commitment to supporting TV and production workers across Europe. The company has already made pledges including a £1million to the UK’s Film and TV Charity’s Covid-19 Response and a £500,000 donation to the Theatre Community Fund, launched by Olivia Colman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Francesca Moody.

Amazon Studios is also continuing to produce across Europe and has announced upcoming Italian Original’s such as Bang Bang Baby, Vita Da Carlo and Dinner Club.

“The COVID-19 crisis has affected workers in the entertainment industry in Italy and across Europe,” said Georgia Brown, director of European Amazon Originals for Prime Video. “This is a difficult, challenging time and we are aware of the hardship many people are going through.

“As we gear up for production restarting on a number of Amazon Original series in Italy and across Europe in the coming months, we’re committed to continuing to support the creative community through this crisis.”