The Italian naval base of Taranto in Puglia is the setting for the $15m (€14m) shoot of Edoardo De Angelis’s Second World War epic Il Comandante. A 1940s submarine has been recreated at a cost of $1.5m (€1.4m) alone. Produced by Indigo Film, the shoot is that rare thing in the Italian industry: a local film of scale and scope. What is more remarkable is that it is one of a group of similar productions that are all aiming for a 2023 release.

Stefano Sollima’s thriller Adagio, Saverio Costanzo’s Finalmente l’Alba, starring Lily James, and Roman Polanski’s The Palace, starring Mickey Rourke, Fanny Ardant and John Cleese, along with Il Comandante, form the latest sortie in the battle to attract audiences back to cinemas.