MIA 24

Organisers announced 18 September the documentary programme of the tenth (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo) which runs October 14-18 in Rome. The MIA market was launched in 2015, organized by ANICA (Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Digitali) and APA (Associazione Produttori Audiovisivi).

On 17 October, Rome’s MIA hosted a keynote titled ‘Unveiling Truth and Inspiring Change,’ delivered by the Oscar-winning producer Odessa Rae of US-based Raefilm Studios. Rae spoke about two of her most acclaimed works: Daniel Roher’s Navalny, an Academy Award, Sundance and BAFTA winner, and Ibrahim Nash’at’s Hollywoodgate which premiered at Venice 2023 and is set to be a frontrunner during the upcoming awards season.

Three weeks after its liberation from Russian forces, respected Italian war journalist Francesca Mannocchi navigates the devastated streets of Bucha, a city symbolic of the horrors of war. “The documentary reflects on suffering, resilience, and the power of storytelling, placing humanity at the centre of the ruins of conflict,” reveals the Ukrainian Whispers team.

Over 2800 audiovisual professionals took part in the tenth edition of the Market, marking a 10% increase in attendance over 2023. “Thanks to its strong identity and credibility, MIA has now earned an important place in the agendas of international operators. It is a unique curatorial market, a strategic player in the co-production market and a fundamental engine for the financing, distribution and circulation of works and talents,” commented Gaia Tridente, MIA Director.

“There are events in the history of Italy that mark a before and after. Because they shape History. And, because of them, the world will never be the same,” reads the beginning of the MIA project synopsis of Seveso – The Italian Chernobyl. At MIA 2024, Business Doc Europe caught up with the Fandango team to unpack the 4x50-minute documentary series about the notorious 1976 Seveso disaster, an industrial accident that occurred in a small chemical manufacturing plant.

At MIA 2024, Business Doc Europe caught up with Vincenzo Filippo of Lupin Films, one of the producers involved in the making of Reborn – Perfect Love, helmed by Giovanni Conte and Francesco Pascucci, currently in development. The project concerns ‘reborn’ dolls that closely resemble children. “They exist for one purpose: to allow the women who cradle them to fill a void that work, a husband, or [their own] children cannot fill.”

On 16 October, MIA hosted a talk dedicated to Impact documentaries. During the event, the panellists shared their insights into crafting powerful stories that not only inform but also inspire action. The conversation saw the participation of, among others, France Télévisions Studio’s Head of Programmes Diego Buñuel, RAI filmmaker and journalist Giulia Innocenzi, Impact Partners VP of Production Kelsey Koenig, and Georg Tschurtschenthaler of German production outfit Gebrueder Beetz.

The International Factual Forum enables TV or digital content producers to present and promote their ideas for factual formats and programs to potential stakeholders at MIA (October 14-18 2024). Italians Doc It Better is an initiative aimed at presenting Italian documentaries in post-production, or documentaries completed but not yet released outside Italy.