At this year’s MIA Market, running from October 6 to 10 in Rome, new offerings from Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan (“Mommy,” “It’s Only the End of the World”), Marvel and Disney concept artist Andrew Leung (“Mulan,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), and French animator and director Eléa Gobbe-Mévellec (“The Swallows of Kabul”) are taking the spotlight.
Over 100 international TV series, formats, animated works, feature films, and documentaries at various production stages will be pitched to countless key executives this week in the Eternal City, reflecting the increasing significance of the pre-Mipcom boutique event.
In an interview with Variety ahead of this year’s edition, MIA Market head Gaia Tridente emphasized the diligence of her curatorial team in pinpointing market-ready projects. She noted their role in connecting producers, distributors, and content providers, ensuring relevant projects gain visibility.
“We facilitate deals and act as a cornerstone of the industry,” Tridente remarked. “Projects showcased at MIA do not vanish unnoticed; many eventually integrate into the market. This outcome is attributed to a team dedicated to curating and developing projects in line with market needs.”
Headlining MIA Market’s significant drama section, featuring 15 projects from 12 countries, is the French series “Rage,” directed by Xavier Dolan, depicting the surge of the skinhead movement in 1980s Paris. Created by Anaïs Topla and Mathieu Gouny, and produced by Manon Robillot and Laetitia Quentin de Gromard’s Paris-based Madelon Production, the series is pitched as “a bold and stylish show that can be experienced on many levels,” merging “spectacular action with emotional resonance.” Currently in early development, the six-part series will be penned by Topla, Gouny, and Marc Herpoux.
Other notable dramas include “Writers Retreat,” from the U.K. production company BlackBox Multimedia (“The Ex-Wife,” “Home Education”), created and written by Lindsay Shapero (“Winter Palace”), which investigates the baffling disappearance of a guest at an upscale retreat in Spain. Meanwhile, from Dublin-based Deadpan Pictures and Canadian outfit Shaftesbury Films, “The Roaring Banshees” adapts the acclaimed play by John Morton and Peter McGann, chronicling a band of Irish women rebels who turn to crime in 1920s Chicago.
Another compelling project is “Red Light Empire,” from Dutch production label Lemming Film. It narrates the journey of a Holocaust orphan striving to forge an empire within Amsterdam’s red-light district, directed by Tim Oliehoek with writing credits to Michael Leendertse and Sarah Offringa. Also making an appearance is Greek powerhouse Faliro House with “Aïnta!,” following the aspirations of a second-generation Greek Ghanaian immigrant pursuing his dreams of becoming a rap star, created by Kevin Zans Ansong—known in the music world as Negros Tou Moria—alongside Stavros Pamballis and Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos.
The animation segment features seven feature films and nine series, among which is “Ancient China of Mars,” a sci-fi dramedy by Los Angeles-based filmmaker and animator Andrew Leung, known for his work on Disney’s “Mulan” and Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Produced by Snarky Elephant Productions, it presents a quirky yet timely take on the immigrant experience, chronicling a Chinese family’s struggles running a failing restaurant on a Mars orbiting space station. Leung describes it as a commentary on how “the American dream is increasingly seen as a mere fantasy.”
Another anticipated creation is “The Northern Star,” by French animator and director Eléa Gobbe-Mévellec, whose debut feature “The Swallows of Kabul” was showcased in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 2019. Co-created with Milada Tesitelova, this film follows a 17-year-old North Korean refugee escaping to Seoul, portraying “a political, artistic, and profoundly human narrative of a young woman caught between two Koreas.”
Other attractions in the packed animation program include “Argonauts,” an adult sci-fi, action-adventure series from Simon Duric, co-creator and executive producer of Netflix’s “The Innocents,” presenting a modern retelling of the Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts. Additionally, “The Rejects,” a 10-episode series by John McEwan-Whyte and Julie Bower, follows a team of history’s most overlooked sidekicks as they embark on a mission to save the world. This series is produced by Rick Mischel’s Emmy-winning Artists Animation Studio, alongside Bonnie and Braw.
Highlighted among the 12 feature films showcased in Rome is “Fugue,” by award-winning Irish filmmaker Ivan Kavanaugh (“Never Grow Old”), which tells a chilling story of possession and sacrifice, viewed through the eyes of a piano tuner seeking shelter during a fierce storm. From Egyptian firm Film Clinic comes “Draft Zero,” a feature debut from Ahmed El Zoghby, chronicling a filmmaker in Cairo documenting the life of a refugee family to salvage his own crumbling existence.
The Norwegian director Tatiana Delaunay will present her debut film “Summer of Jesus,” centered on a guilty environmental activist returning to her Italian heritage and facing love, grief, and cultural disparities. The film is backed by notable Norwegian producer Thomas Robsahm, associated with over 50 films, including the double Oscar-nominated work of Joachim Trier, “The Worst Person in the World.”
Documentary highlights at MIA include “The Lawyer,” a film by Maciej Bochniak in collaboration with Polish production company Madants (“High Life,” “The Silent Twins”), detailing the story of a talented young Kenyan lawyer whose life changes dramatically when he becomes the subject of an investigation. Additionally, “Building Venice,” a documentary series by Katia Bernardi, reveals the hidden aspects of the iconic city, crafted by the team behind the Warner Bros. Discovery action-doc series “Extreme Mountain Carpenters.”
The MIA Market will conclude with awards on October 10, including the inaugural Sony Pictures Television Award, recognizing the best drama project from the MIA Drama Co-production Market & Pitching Forum, selected by a jury from Sony Pictures Television.
Rome’s MIA Market is set to take place from October 6 to 10.
