The highly successful first edition of MIA (Mercato Internazionale dell’Audiovisivo) – held in Rome from October 16 to 20 during the Rome Film Fest, at the Terme di Diocleziano and Hotel Boscolo-Exedra – exceeded all expectations in attendance figures and results. Created with the goal of placing Italy back on the map of European and global audiovisual industries and offering the world’s most active players a productive market tool, MIA proved it could live up to its ambitions of becoming an important convergence platform for cinema, television, documentaries and gaming; and an effective mediator for the internationalization of the industry, bolstering strategic co-development, co-productions and export initiatives, within Europe and with other emerging and established markets.
MIA is a brand of the National Association of Film and Affiliated Industries (ANICA) and the Television Producers Association (APT). It is produced by ANICA, APT, Doc/it and the Fondazione Cinema per Roma (implementing body); backed by the Ministry of Economic Development and ICE – Agency for the global promotion and internationalization of Italian companies; promoted by the Ministry of Cultural Activities and Tourism and Luce-Cinecittà with the collaboration of the Roma Lazio Film Commission; in synergy with the Italian Film Commissions association; and with the participation of RAI Com. And thanks to the Archeological Superintendency of Rome, RAI Com and Luce were able to use the Terme di Diocleziano as the home of one of MIA’s key meeting spaces.
Half of the 1,317 accreditees and 270 visitors hailing from 58 countries were international; they included 546 producers, 310 buyers, 118 international sales agents and 50 commissioning editors. There were a further 172 representatives of national and foreign institutional delegations while the 100 titles (92 films and 8 TV series) screened in the international market included 35 world premieres.
1,500 B2B meetings were pre-scheduled for the international feature and documentary co-production projects of the New Cinema Network, Make It With Italy and IDS.
More than 300 selected guests, leaders within the international audiovisual industry, spoke about the future of the industry across the 82 events of TV Days Soft Talks, Country Focuses, MIA Talks, Agora and IDS.
Numerous distribution and co-production deals were initiated and/or signed during the market.
Of the Italian titles backed by Italian Film Boutique, RAI Com’s best-selling title was Claudio Caligari’s Don’t Be Mean, Italy’s submission for Best Foreign-Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
True Colours, the new joint-venture sales company between Indigo and Lucky Red, sold Roberto Andò’s The Confessions and Maria Sole Tognazzi’s Me, Myself and Her to many territories.
Other Italian titles that landed foreign distribution include Gianni Zanasi’s The Complexity of Happiness and Francesco Munzi’s international hit Black Souls (sold to Japan). Giovanni Totaro’s documentary Happy Winter, developed by the IDS Academy, was picked up for domestic release at MIA.
Italian TV projects bought for the US include two Inspector Montalbano films, the new season of Inspector Coliandro, Claudio Canepari and Paolo Santolini’s doc Camilleri: Maestro Senza Regole and the mockumentary TV series Crazy Dreamers by Filippo Macelloni and Lorenzo Garzella.
There was a strong presence of institutions, which participated daily in the market activities, as testament to the industry’s cohesion and robustness.
Carlo Calenda, Vice Minister for the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), MIA’s main backing body, shared diverse new internationalization measures introduced by MISE. ICE President Riccardo Monti participated in market and co-production events and presented the first-ever MIA Award. Culture Minster Dario Franceschini, speaking at a Public Service panel, supported the need to establish a film and audiovisual tax credit that is equal for all and expressed his desire to increasingly restrict the public Audiovisual Fund to young talents.
Speaking at the China Day Forum, Antonello Giacomelli, MISE Undersecretary in charge of telecommunications, reiterated the government’s intent to create legislation that will strengthen the tax credit for international co-productions. Lazio Region President Nicola Zingaretti presented the new regional tender “Lazio Cinema International”: €10 million in European funds to SMIs looking to make international co-productions.
Seventeen members of regional Italian Film Commissions held over 150 meetings that were productive for both the industry and country. Foreign institutions also participated significantly: Creative Europe held a conference; and there was co-production panel held by Roberto Olla, Executive Director of Eurimages, which further attested its support of MIA with the prestigious Eurimages Award. MIA was also the stage for the presentation of Rome’s candidacy as a UNESCO Creative City for Cinema, and the launch of a €700,000 institutional fund for the distribution of Italian films sold internationally.
MIA’s greatest success, however, was its ability to bring together industry players in an open dialogue for sharing know-how, experiences and best practices in an atmosphere that for five intense days wowed all of our guests, Italian and international. MIA was, above all, the driver of the rebirth of the Italian industry, whose various sectors are proving they can work cohesively and collectively, backed by the institutions, to create an international presence of extraordinary competence and innovative, avant-garde ideas that render our country competitive on the global stage.
MIA has already proved it has a clear identity. In a totally original and effective matchmaking format the market offered targeted, streamlined events that boosted business relations, exchanges and networking: a terrace for spontaneous networking that was packed daily with sellers and buyers; TV Days Soft Talks, where the leading players of TV drama engaged in open conversations on the industry’s hottest and most important topics; the co-production market for cinema and documentaries; and the many keynotes and analyses of factual content. All the programs shared an important common denominator: breaking down barriers and fostering professional meetings and interactions, with an eye on growth and medium- to long-term business prospects.
MIA Director Lucia Milazzotto: “This is only the beginning of an important mission that we hope will see MIA take on an active role in the audiovisual industry’s internationalization process and growth. After such a successful first edition we are more determined than ever to introduce strategic initiatives over the entire year, to create an even stronger and more innovative market.”
MIA Project Manager Diamara Parodi Delfino: “The Fondazione Cinema per Roma Grande is extremely satisfied with the great collaborative climate that has been established within the Italian film industry, in a venture universally acknowledged as a success that strengthens our industry’s presence on the international landscape.”
Francesco Prosperetti, Superintendent for the Coliseum, National Roman Museum and the Archeological Heritage of Rome: “Hosting MIA in the magnificent Terme di Diocleziano was much more than a pleasure for us at the Archeological Superintendency of Rome. We are proud of these positive results that exceeded all expectations and believe that the beauty of the location contributed to this success. For me it is a personal confirmation that archeology and the contemporary world – of which the audiovisual industry is one of its most important manifestations – can and must ‘contaminate’ one another. We therefore hope to see you next year to continue this partnership.”
