MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo), directed by Gaia Tridente, returns to Rome October 9-13 for its 9th edition in the city’s Palazzo Barberini and Cinema Barberini.
More than 500 projects were submitted this year for the Co-Production Market and Pitching Forum for Animation, Doc, Drama and Film, from 80 countries worldwide (+30% of countries compared to 2022). Of the 62 final selections, 18 are in the Doc&Factual category.
For the 2023 edition, the MIA Digital platform will enable registered attendees, both live and remote, to access all sessions (in real time or on demand).
In 2022, MIA hosted more than 2400 participants from 60 countries (+20% compared to 2021).
DOC CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & PITCHING FORUM
The 18 selected projects are sourced from 8 different countries. Nine of the projects are from Italy and a further three are Italy-themed. “MIA’s Doc Co-production Market & Pitching Forum, has achieved goals of great significance that once again testify to the international status of the Rome market and the great trust of international operators,” write organisers.
Italian titles (narrative provided by MIA)
- LETIZIA BATTAGLIA. L’INDOMABILE/HER NAME IS BATTLE, (TV one-off, directed by Cécile Allegra and produced by Massimo Arvat, Zenit Arti Audiovisive and Patricia Boutinard Rouelle, Nilaya Productions) is an Italian-French co-production that makes a portrait of the recently deceased Sicilian photographer.
- Another Sicilian story is that of Tanino Murana accused of collaborating with the Mafia in NON HO UCCISO BORSELLINO/I DIDN’T KILL BORSELLINO (docuseries, directed by Simone Manetti, produced by David Perluigi and Luca Motta, Loft Produzioni Srl with Cosetta Lagani, Salice Production).
- ACHILLE LAURO-LA CROCIERA DEL TERRORE/ACHILLE LAURO-THE TERROR CRUISE (docuseries, directed and produced by Raffaele Brunetti, B&B Film) takes us back to the hijacking of the cruise ship in 1985.
- Social themes are recounted in NEAR LIGHT (docuseries, directed by Niccolò Salvato, produced by Mara Cracaleanu, Melancholia Pictures), 5 episodes reflecting on the dramatic prison situation in Italy.
- MIA (feature doc, directed by Enrico Maisto, produced by Riccardo Annoni, Start) tells the story of the integration of a family with a charismatic female figure at its centre.
- ILONA (feature doc, directed by Alessandro Galluzzi, produced by Chiara Salvo, Scarlett Produzioni) takes its cue from Ilona Staller’s political parable to narrate feminism in Italy and the clash against national prejudice and machismo.
- THE DREAMERS (feature doc, directed and produced by Alessandro Galassi with Claudia Leon, Anamei Films), on the other hand, focuses on the resistance of Afghan women against the violence and obscurantism of the Talibans.
- OCEAN DRIVE (feature doc, directed by Jesus Garcés Lambert, produced by Alessandro Lostia, Indigo Stories Srl) is the story of the unusual adventure of a father and his children who, due to a terminal illness, decide to realise their dream of crossing the ocean in two floating cars.
- L’AFFAIRE MODIGLIANI/THE MODIGLIANI AFFAIRE (feature doc, directed by Luca Rea, produced by Domenico Procacci, Fandango) is an analysis of the scandal following the mockery of the stone heads ‘erroneously’ attributed to the Italian artist in 1984, as well as a series of strange events such as the mysterious death of Modigliani’s daughter Jeanne.
International titles titles (narrative provided by MIA)
Italy is also present in within four of the international titles presented at MIA Doc:
- ROME UNDERGROUND (TV one-off, directed by Laurent Portes, produced by Olivier Mille, Artline Films, France), which describes the vicissitudes of the construction of the Italian capital’s underground railway between archaeology and history.
- Another French documentary tries to tell the story of Silvio Berlusconi’s Italy in IL PAESE CHE AMO/THE COUNTRY I LOVE (feature doc, directed by Fabio Lucchini, produced by Davide Morandini, Khora Film Productions)
- The Swiss project JESUS GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (TV one-off, directed by Norbert Busè, produced by Corinna Dästnr, DokLab GmbH) takes us to the Matera, the southern Italian city often used as a set by US blockbusters
- The French GEN (TV one-off, directed by Gianluca Matarrese, produced by Dominique Barneaud, Bellota Films) takes us to Milan’s Niguarda hospital where couples resort to in-vitro fertilisation.
- The Luxembourg-based WAITING FOR FRÄNK (feature doc, directed by Désirée Nosbusch, produced by Alexandra Hoesdorff) is linked to the One Coin cryptocurrency scandal.
- The Canadian THE TRACK (feature doc, directed and produced by Ryan Sidhoo, Spirit of 84 Films) follows the adventures of 3 aspiring Olympic athletes in modern-day Bosnia.
- The Taiwanese DESPERATELY SEEKING RAINBOWS (feature doc, directed by Kenny Png and produced by Stefano Centini, Volos Films) is a disturbing backstage look at the world of Asian porn.
- The Armenian PRICE OF HISTORY (feature doc, directed and produced by Vardan Hovhannisyan, Bars Media) deals with themes of contemporary archaeology.
- The Israeli HOT SPOT (feature doc, directed by Karin Kainer and produced by Osnat Saraga, Ananey Studios) recalls the crisis of 5 teenagers in a school for future leaders not far from Jerusalem.
The projects were selected by a committee composed of:
- Sabine Bubeck-Paaz, Commissioning Editor of ZDF, Germany; Rudy Buttignol, Broadcast Strategy & Brand of NXT, Canada
- Arianna Castoldi, Head of Doc Sales of Mediawan Rights, France
- Silvia De Felice, Head of Progetto Arte Cultura ed Educational of Rai, Italy
- Hedva Goldschmidt, Managing Director of Go2Films, Israel
- Ken-ichi Imamura, Commissioning Editor of NHK Enterprise, Japan
- Björn Jensen, Managing Director of Ginger Foot Films, Germany
- Serge Lalou, Producer of Les Films d’Ici, France
- Patrizia Mancini, Freelance Consultant, France
- Fabio Mancini, Commissioning Editor of Rai, Italy
