Founded in 2003 by Isabella Cocuzza and Arturo Paglia, Paco Cinematografica began its activity producing documentaries, later focusing between 2005 and 2006 on the production of three feature films: Padiglione 22, Lettere dalla Sicilia, and Cover Boy, the latter selected among the five Italian films shortlisted to represent Italy at the Oscars.
In 2010 the company produced Basilicata Coast to Coast, the first feature by Rocco Papaleo. The film was met with wide critical and public acclaim, earning three David di Donatello Awards (Best New Director, Best Music, and Best Original Song), two Nastri d’Argento, the Globo d’Oro, the Ciak d’Oro, and the Prix Amilcar des Exploitants at the Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt.
The following year, Paco released Scossa, an anthology film about the 1908 Messina earthquake, presented out of competition at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2013 the company took an international leap with The Best Offer (La migliore offerta), directed by Academy Award winner Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Geoffrey Rush, Donald Sutherland, Sylvia Hoeks, and Jim Sturgess. Distributed by Warner Bros in Italy and Germany, the film was a box office success and won six David di Donatello Awards and six Nastri d’Argento.
Also in 2013 Paco produced A Small Southern Enterprise (Una piccola impresa meridionale), Papaleo’s second film as director. In 2015 the company presented First Light (La prima luce) by Vincenzo Marra, selected for the “Giornate degli Autori” section at the Venice Film Festival, where it received the Pasinetti Award for Best Film. That same year, Paco also produced Correspondence (La corrispondenza) by Tornatore, starring Jeremy Irons, and co-produced with France’s White Pictures The Stuff of Dreams (La stoffa dei sogni), which won the David di Donatello for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Globo d’Oro for Best Film.
In 2016 came No Country for Young Men (Non è un paese per giovani) by Giovanni Veronesi, followed in 2017 by Nine and a Half Moons (Nove lune e mezza), the directorial debut of Michela Andreozzi. The year 2018 was marked by the release of The Magic Flute at Piazza Vittorio (Il Flauto Magico di Piazza Vittorio), Traveling with Adele (In viaggio con Adele), and What for New Year’s Eve? (Cosa fai a Capodanno?).
In 2019 the company produced My Brother Chases Dinosaurs (Mio fratello rincorre i dinosauri), based on the bestselling book by Giacomo Mazzariol and directed by Stefano Cipani. Presented as a special event at the 76thVenice Film Festival in the “Giornate degli Autori” section, it received the Sorriso Diverso Award, the David Giovani, and the Young Audience Award at the European Film Awards. That same year, Paco also released Good Gals (Brave Ragazze) by Michela Andreozzi and The Bumblebee Argument (Il talento del calabrone), the directorial debut of Giacomo Cimini.
In 2020 the company produced three films: The Great Silence (Il silenzio grande) by Alessandro Gassmann, Parents vs Influencers (Genitori vs influencer) by Michela Andreozzi, and Funeral Family (I Cassamortari) by Claudio Amendola.
In 2021 Paco produced Gym Class (Educazione fisica), Cipani’s second feature, written by the D’Innocenzo Brothers, who had previously won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival with Bad Tales(Favolacce).
In 2022 the company completed filming on Lust for Life (Una gran voglia di vivere), Andreozzi’s fourth feature, and launched its first TV series: Dostoevskij, created and directed by the D’Innocenzo Brothers, produced by Sky Studios in collaboration with Paco Cinematografica.
In 2023 Paco produced Napoli – New York, based on an unpublished story by Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli and directed by Gabriele Salvatores. The film won two David di Donatello Awards (David Giovani and Best Visual Effects for Victor Perez). That same year, Paco also produced Neverfriends (Amichemai), marking the return of Maurizio Nichetti to directing, and Funeral Family 2 (Ari-Cassamortari) by Claudio Amendola, the sequel to I Cassamortari.
In 2024 the company produced Strike (Strike – Figli di un’era sbagliata), the debut film by under-35 filmmakers Gabriele Berti, Giovanni Nasta and Diego Tricarico, featuring Massimo Ceccherini, Matilde Gioli and Lorenzo Zurzolo.
In 2025 Paco produced Unicorns (Unicorni), a family dramedy directed by Michela Andreozzi and starring Edoardo Pesce, Valentina Lodovini, and Lino Musella. The film opened the 55th edition of the Giffoni Film Festival.
Paco Cinematografica is currently filming Seven Makes Heaven (È andata così), directed by Gianni Zanasi and starring Michele Riondino, Valentina Lodovini, Valerio Mastandrea, and Leonardo Lidi. The film is a co-production between Pupkin Production, Paco Cinematografica, Vision Distribution, Neo Art Producciones and A.B. Film.