MIA Market 2021: 2.000 atendees and 40.000 meetings in Rome

A total of 2000 accredited operators from 56 countries, nearly 100% in attendance, more than 600 international top players in Rome, 450 producers, 800 product and project buyers, 59 panels within the venues of Cinema Moderno and Palazzo Barberini, 40,000 B2B meetings, 800,000 visualizations on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, 96,000 visited pages: these are the numbers of the seventh edition of MIA - Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo directed by Lucia Milazzotto.

"We inaugurated MIA with the Minister of Culture Franceschini, Undersecretary Ascani representing the Ministry of Economic Development, the President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti - given that the audiovisual industry is strongly rooted in this territory while undergoing intense development throughout the country, also thanks to the activity of the Film Commissions - and with ICE President Carlo Ferro,” ANICA President Francesco Rutelli said during a conference with Foreign Minister Di Maio. "Institutionally speaking, this is the most remarkable and valuable aspect of this year's edition. Minister Di Maio's speech marks a turning point for the Italian Theatrical and Audiovisual industry: acquiring the Country's economic promotion from the inside by supporting export and internationalization through ICE, the Farnesina has also become the promoter of the audiovisual industry's growth. All this is part of a framework that the Minister has indicated as 'soft power," meaning a set of tools aiming to promote the Italian identity, language, economic interests, and cultural diplomacy. MIA is a system event, and this shift in direction is truly innovative."

"In the last years, the world of Theatrical and Audiovisual has certainly undergone a profound evolution, even net of the pandemic. In Italy, the Government has worked intensely and seriously to show the best conditions for this success," APA President Giancarlo Leone stated, "More specifically, through a series of decisions that include the tax credit, the Minister of Culture has made a decisive contribution during the pandemic towards the resumption and success of Cinema. Until recently, the Government and Institutions lacked a real strategy to support the internationalization of our product. The presence of general directorates in the new structure that deals with integrated promotion and public and general diplomacy is extraordinary news because, for the first time, Institutions and cultural and productive associations such as ANICA and APA were bridged into a system. Without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ICE, MIA would not exist: it is fundamental support, and today is a memorable day for the entire supply chain."

The Roman “five days” were full of events and boasted 150 market screenings (80 of which premiers) and 150 projects and works-in-progress (70% Italian) thanks to the strengthening of three divisions: Scripted, curated by Gaia Tridente, including Film and Drama; Unscripted, curated by Marco Spagnoli, including Doc and Factual; and Strategic Development - comprising the market screenings, content showcases, and activities related to the sale of the complete product - entrusted to Francesca Palleschi.

“The figures of 2021 MIA are proof of the growing centrality and rediscovered renewal spirit leading Italy and our creativity and productive capacity to becoming a protagonist of the international landscape,” MIA Director Lucia Milazzotto commented. “The International Audiovisual Market is the result of a collective effort, of a systematic project in a moment of great resumption of the entire theatrical and audiovisual supply chain, including its creativity and global positioning. MIA is once again an unmissable event for the domestic and international industry and an efficient and authoritative voice in the global ecosystem of the sector. MIA also intercepts and welcomes the need for a European hub and the growing competitiveness of our industries, bringing Italy back to the center of the negotiating tables for major continental film, drama, documentary, factual, and animation projects. The +600 operators that took part in the event in Rome confirm this positive and important trend and at the same time are proof of the great trust of international operators towards the entire country system, from the point of view of health security and investments, relying on our tradition of worldwide famed talents, arts, crafts and professionals, our solid production capacity, and our extraordinary territory, along with cutting-edge services, innovation, and more and more high-quality products”.

Italy's production capacity 

According to the latest APA report presented at MIA, at the beginning of 2021, this System recorded a production value of more than +1.3 billion for all genres, with an extremely high growth rate (28% in 2020) above all concerning Fiction for TV and VoD platforms. The original production value of Animation titles is also growing, as in 2020 it stands at €77 million, while all other genres (documentaries, entertainment, Talk Shows, and in-depth and cultural programs) lie around €350 million. Furthermore, as underlined by the ICE report during the Market days, the Italian audiovisual industry appears to be in a phase of productive vitality, with interesting signs of strengthening international productions and attracting foreign investments and market shares.

During the seventh edition of the Market, the ethical behavior charter for the audiovisual sector was launched to support inclusiveness and diversity and prevent gender-based violence, body shaming, and discrimination in the cine-audiovisual sector. Furthermore, the International Audiovisual Market is one of the few audiovisual events in Europe that is totally sustainable and, in 2021, contributed to the reforestation of mountain areas and the northeast of Italy.