Ila Palma

In 1959, after an intense career in journalism, Renzo Mazzone founded the publishing house Palma in Palermo, within the operations of the Tea printing house (established in 1954), just a few steps from the central Via della Libertà. After experiencing significant growth, particularly in the academic world, the company expanded across the ocean in 1966, reaching Brazil. This marked the birth of Ila Palma (Italo-Latin American Palma), which developed a strong presence in the literary world in São Paulo. The Italy-Brazil connection became the guiding principle in shaping its publishing choices.

In 1983, Rean Mazzone joined his father in the editorial project. In 1994, Ila Palma took its first steps into audiovisual and cinematic production through Tea Nova, which began managing its brand. In 2003, Ila Palma Produzioni was established, with offices in Rome and Paris. This multifaceted growth was reflected in its publishing activity through a diverse catalog (more than two thousand titles, including academic works, University Press publications, fiction, instant books, art books, and periodicals) and in its audiovisual and cinematic work by promoting new creative voices. Ila Palma has always operated outside conventional frameworks, without public funding or political affiliations, rejecting the mainstream publishing industry’s commercial constraints and mass-market audiovisual production standards.

Today, the production company has its administrative headquarters in Rome, its legal headquarters in Palermo, and operational offices in Genoa and Bologna. It collaborates regularly with the Italian company Dream Film and the French company Cineparallax. Ila Palma continues its original path as an artisanal workshop, shaping and developing the diverse ideas of its authors and fostering exchanges between leading figures in Italian, European, and international culture. It has also provided a platform for emerging artists and creators on the fringes of the mainstream industry, enabling them to present a non-stereotypical vision of contemporary culture, rooted in their own identities and origins.