Rome’s MIA Market — which is dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films and documentaries — is set to kick off its 11th edition on Oct. 6 with more than 100 projects ready to be unveiled to potential partners, a robust roster of panels and hundreds of top execs expected in the Eternal City.
Keynote speakers include Emmy and Grammy-winning director Thom Zimny, a longtime collaborator of Bruce Springsteen who is known for his documentaries on Springsteen, Willie Nelson and Sylvester Stallone.
The Oct. 6-10 pre-Mipcom boutique event is unique because it embraces all industry genres and continually adapts to market demands and tries new things. Accordingly, there is a new Vertical AI section this year, a book adaptation forum and a session with Hollywood agent Charles Ferraro, a partner at UTA, who will take elevator pitches and provide candid tips.
Animation stands out this year, with an exclusive closed-door summit featuring Patricia Hidalgo, director of children and education at the BBC; Patricia Vasapollo, director of family and fiction at German public broadcaster HR/ARD; Pierre Siracusa, director of kids’ animation at France Télévisions (France); and Roberto Genovesi, the newly appointed Director of RAI Kids (Italy).
MIA’s factual segment has been beefed up and will feature a Factual Forum showcase with 10 new titles/formats and an all-female panel titled “Factual Frontiers: Unlocking Global Growth.” The panel will feature prominent Britain-based women execs including Gerbrig Blanksma, SVP international sales and partnerships at the U.K.’s Blue Ant Media; Cecilie Olsen, SVP of global content, non-scripted at ITV Studios Global Distribution; and Carlotta Rossi Spencer, head of branded entertainment at Banijay.
The drama division will include a panel titled “The Nordic Blueprint” featuring the heads of drama from four major Northern European broadcasters: Marianne Furevold-Boland for NRK (Norway), Jarmo Lampela for YLE (Finland), Johanna Gårdare for SVT (Sweden) and Henriette Marienlund for DR (Denmark). Among other topics, the session will highlight the fact that these the four Nordic broadcasters clocked “a 24% increase in commissioning during the first quarter of 2025, while globally there has been a 15% decline,” according to a MIA statement.
In terms of TV product, MIA’s Greenlit section will feature a sneak peek at “The Best Immigrant,” a dystopian series produced by Belgium’s Caviar that explores the theme of immigration and was presented at MIA last year, where it secured financing and international distribution via Sony.
On the film side, a panel titled “Follow the Money: Navigating Global Film Financing and Packaging” will see UTA’s Alex Brunner; Alexandra Lebret, a partner and France’s Axio Capital and Together Fund; Dominique Malet, managing director at France’s Cofiloisirs; and Rodrigo Teixeira, chief of Brazil’s RT Features (“I’m Still Here”) thrash out the complexities of international film financing and packaging, from equity financing tools to tax credits, pre-sales to co-productions.
As is customary, sales companies will set up booths in central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini, which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub.