MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, Rome, Oct 6-10) has unveiled the 15 projects selected for the Doc Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum. “These are bold stories, capable of engaging with current affairs, memory, and imagination, while crossing genres and continents,” organisers write. “Each title embodies high production quality and a distinctive authorial signature.”
The line-up includes 11 feature docs, 2 TV one-offs, and 2 docuseries. Italy is represented by 6 projects, while the remaining titles are international co-productions involving a total of 14 countries, including Ukraine and Lebanon. Organisers further describes the projects as “works of rare originality and narrative power that exemplify outstanding creative vision.”
DOC CO-PRODUCTION MARKET AND PITCHING FORUM OFFICIAL SELECTION 2025
- BASEBALL ISLAND (Netherlands). Feature Doc. Produced by New Ams Film Company. Directed by Lyangelo Vasquez. Synopsis: In an attempt to understand the unlikely baseball success of the former Dutch colony of Curaçao, a Little League baseball team is followed on its journey to the World Series in the US. Will the community of kids, coaches, and supporters manage to meet expectations and put Liga Pabou back in the spotlight this season?
- BUILDING VENICE (Italy). Docuseries. Produced by EiE film. Directed by Katia Bernardi. Synopsis: Beneath the beauty of Venice lies a hidden battleground. Building Venice is an unscripted journey into the unseen world of artisans, divers, and acrobatic builders who fight daily to preserve a city suspended between water and time.
- CARETAKERS (Germany, Hungary, USA). Feature Doc. Produced by OTHER FILMS. Directed by Ambrus Hernadi. Synopsis: Two Hungarian women, Zsuzsa and Beata, care for the elderly abroad; one in Germany, the other undocumented in the U.S. Over time, caregiving forces them to question where, if anywhere, they truly belong.
- EDITION 96 (Lebanon). Feature Doc. Produced by OOBconcept. Directed by Ahmad Naboulsi. Synopsis: Suzanne, now in her 60s, recalls triumphing over harassment and extremism to become the national tennis champion.
- ENCOUNTER (Germany, Perù). Feature Doc. Produced by Caral Filmproduktion. Directed by Jose Chavez Boggio. Synopsis: A family of Shining Path ex-militants is confronted by the daughter of a couple murdered in a 1991 attack in Lima. Encuentro is a ‘from the inside’ view of an insurrection in Peru that was exceptional in Latin America due to its sheer violence.
- HIJACKED LIFE (Lithuania, Estonia). Docuseries. Produced by Make it Happen. Directed by Andrius Lekavicius. Synopsis: In 1970, a teenager and his father hijack a Soviet airplane in search of freedom, igniting a 50-year odyssey across three continents—until, in California, the son kills the father.
- IMAN LE CAIRE (France, Canada). TV One-Off. Produced by Beall Productions, Urbania. Directed by Olivier Lemaire. Synopsis: From her New York apartment, Iman Le Caire, a transgender woman of Egyptian origin, helps trans people flee their countries from torture and persecution, mainly in the Middle East. Iman Le Caire is a film about a modern-day heroine.
- I WILL NEVER MARRY – THE BURNING STORY OF PALMINA MARTINELLI (Italy). Feature Doc. Produced by Salice Production. Directed by Antonio Palumbo. Synopsis: 1981 Puglia. 14 year-old Palmina Martinelli is burned alive by her boyfriend. Despite naming her murderers before her death, her attackers go unconvicted – her death is ruled a suicide. Her sister Mina begins a fight to overturn the court’s decision.
- THE MASERATI CHRONICLES (Italy). Feature Doc. Produced by Cromo. Directed by Edoardo Vojvoda. Synopsis: More than a historical account, The Maserati Chronicles is a story of creativity and the pursuit of excellence in the face of adversity and misfortune. It celebrates the visionaries who shaped Maserati’s past and present.
- REFLECTIONS OF GAUGUIN (Finland). Feature Doc. Produced by Pig and Horse Productions. Directed by Marton Jelinko. Synopsis: Reflections of a Gauguin is a thrilling exploration into the forces that shape art’s legacy, examining who crafts its narrative, legitimizes its authenticity and value, and elevates it to greatness artistically, morally, and ultimately monetarily.
- SOTTSASS: THE POETRY OF THINGS (Italy, USA). Feature Doc. Produced by Basement HQ. Directed by Mattia Ramberti. Synopsis. A journey into the life and mind of Ettore Sottsass, the revolutionary architect of postmodern design and founder of the Memphis Group – a cultural rebellion that forever shaped art, fashion, and design. His story is a testament to the importance of creative defiance in an age of conformity.
- SPINOSAURUS THE DINOSAUR THAT SWAM (France). TV One-Off. Produced by 3L Pictures. Directed by Grégory Maitre, Olivier Mercier. Synopsis: In the world of palaeontology, few ideas are as controversial as Nizar Ibrahim’s: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, 95 million years ago, was not a land predator but an aquatic hunter. As the scientist debate intensifies, a new perspective on dinosaur life emerges, offering insights into our own future.
- THE LAWYER (Poland). Feature Doc. Produced by MADANTS. Directed by Maciej Bochniak. Synopsis: When an incredibly talented Kenyan lawyer, Brian Mwenda, wins a seemingly impossible case, someone decides to investigate him. The truth surprises everyone.
- THROUGH SILENCE AND WIND (Italy). Feature Doc. Produced by Albolina Film. Directed by Marco Zuin. Synopsis: Writer Matteo Righetto, a keen observer of the Alpine world, embarks on a journey of reflection to discover a new definition of mountaineering and the profound bond between human beings and the mountains.
- TSYBLI / THE GRAY ZONE (Ukraine, Italy). Feature Doc. Produced by DYKHAI Production. Directed by Lesya Kharchenko. Synopsis: An observational film about love as presence — in a palliative ward where life endures beyond consciousness, in a country at war.
2025 DOC SELECTION COMMITTEE
- Horia El Hadad | Sr. Commissioning Producer, Al Jazeera English (Qatar)
- Bjorn Jensen | Creative Director & Founder, Ginger Foot Films (Germany)
- Fabio Mancini | Commissioning Editor, Rai Documentari (Italy)
- Pamela Martinez | International Sales Agent, Limonero Films (Spain)
- Myriam Weil | Head of Documentary, Federation Studios (France)
- Hiroshi Yokota | Director and Producer, NHK Entreprises, INC (Japan)
2025 DOC & FACTUAL ADVISORY BOARD
- Luigi Del Plavignano | Director Rai Documentari, Rai (Italy)
- Chiara Messineo | Executive Producer and Director, (UK)
- Cecilie Olsen | SVP Global Content Acquisition, Non-Scripted, ITV Studios (UK)
- Mikael Österby | Head of Factual SVT International, SVT (Sweden)
The Italian Docs It Better programme selection will be announced soon. The showcase is dedicated to Italian documentaries in post-production, at rough cut stage or completed, but not yet presented or screened in markets, festivals, showcases, cinemas, on TV or across platforms.
