MIA Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo unveiled its 2026 edition at the Italian Pavilion in Cannes. MIA is promoted by ANICA (Italian Association of Film, Audiovisual and Digital Industries), chaired by Alessandro Usai, and by APA (Italian Audiovisual Producers Association), chaired by Chiara Sbarigia, under the direction of Gaia Tridente. Mia 2026 will take place in Rome from October 19 to 23.
Major new features are planned for the 2026 edition. MIA is inaugurating a new phase of development, marking an important evolutionary step that redefines its editorial, international and institutional profile. The market is thus consolidating its position as an increasingly structured, dynamic and effective industry platform, capable of supporting the entire audiovisual value chain and responding concretely to the needs of the contemporary market. The editorial project is being renewed through a more organic and circular approach, oriented toward value creation, project development and the generation of new business opportunities.
This evolution is also reflected in a new configuration of spaces and activities, which will involve new venues in the heart of Rome, creating a distributed geography capable of strengthening the dialogue between the industry and the city. MIA’s growth is also measured in terms of participation and international positioning, thanks to an increasingly qualified and attractive offering for international professionals, further consolidating Rome’s role as a strategic hub for the audiovisual sector.
The ANICA President Alessandro Usai said: “With the 2026 edition, MIA takes another step forward in strengthening its identity as an international platform serving the entire film and audiovisual industry. For ANICA, MIA represents a unique opportunity to create, in Rome, at the centre of the Italian film and audiovisual industry, a place where companies from every stage of the value chain and from all over the world can find opportunities for meeting and dialogue that would normally be impossible. This year, after years of growth and a multiplication of events and activities, the effort has been to seek greater synthesis, rewarding the exceptional nature of the event and the standing of the speakers. We want MIA to be a place where all professionals can find ideas and opportunities to build relationships and international business that no other context offers in Italy and that is on a par with the few other major events worldwide. This work of refinement and pursuit of excellence will concern all stages in the life of projects, through an interconnected reading of the value chain that links development, production, financing, distribution and the international circulation of works.”
Chiara Sbarigia, President of the Audiovisual Producers Association (APA) stated: “The film and audiovisual sector is a strategic asset for the national economy, with a value exceeding 16.3 billion euros. Italian audiovisual production — ranging from series to entertainment, from documentaries to animation — is the beating heart of this system, accounting for more than two thirds of it. It is a solid and competitive industry that fuels the entire distribution chain, from television to global platforms, and one third of its strength does not draw on any public funding.” “We are looking at a diverse and widespread entrepreneurial fabric that generates wealth and employment in key regions such as Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Campania,” explains Sbarigia, “acting as a driver for related sectors such as tourism, publishing and high-tech, real estate and hospitality. Audiovisual is not only about storytelling; it is an engine of development that showcases Italy to the world. APA has always been at the forefront of promoting this ecosystem.” “Historically, we helped forge MIA’s identity, starting from the Industry experience of the Fiction Fest; today, after more than ten years,” Chiara Sbarigia concludes, “we felt it was necessary to request an evolution of its format. Our mission is to make the market increasingly aligned with the dynamics of a constantly transforming global context, guaranteeing the international stage our industry deserves.”
Lucia Borgonzoni, Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Culture remarked: “MIA is a crucial platform for the growth of the Italian audiovisual sector: a place where expertise, creativity, and international visions intertwine, generating new industrial and cultural opportunities. Its ability to attract professionals from around the world confirms the strength of our creative ecosystem and the value of a sector that makes a significant contribution to the country’s economic development. Supporting MIA means strengthening a strategic infrastructure that allows Italy to be a leading player in innovation processes, co-productions, and the global challenges of the audiovisual market.”
At institutional level, the fundamental support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – ITA Italian Trade Agency is renewed, and new synergies are being consolidated locally with Fondazione Cinema per Roma and Alice nella città, with whom MIA is launching a new structured collaboration and exchange. This convergence is also reflected in the calendar: MIA will take place from October 19 to 23, alongside the two events, further strengthening Rome’s attractiveness and centrality as an international hub for the audiovisual industry.
MIA receives the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ITA (Italian Trade Agency), the Lazio Region, and the Fondazione Roma Lazio Film Commission, and has been supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, confirming its role within the main national and European institutional networks dedicated to the audiovisual sector.
New features in the editorial and industry programmes
MIA Director Gaia Tridente highlighted the important new features in the editorial programme, arising from the need to address in a structured way the profound transformation currently affecting the international audiovisual ecosystem. In a context marked by continuous geopolitical and economic changes on a global scale, MIA is embarking on a transformation that will take it from a market built on highly distinctive vertical content segments to an integrated industry platform, capable of accompanying the entire audiovisual value chain in a circular way. The objective is to address the sector’s real needs, generate new economies and offer concrete tools for the development and sustainability of companies in the sector. From this perspective, MIA aims to make its programme increasingly effective and impact-oriented, focusing its energy on initiatives capable of fostering new partnerships, stimulating innovative development models and strengthening the economic sustainability of the companies involved. MIA 2026 presents itself as a place for value creation and exchange.
Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum
The co-production market has also been rethought and reorganized, offering producers more structured opportunities to meet financiers, buyers, distributors and international co-producers. The market will offer projects in development a real opportunity to access the international market, positioning itself as a business and creative platform dedicated to the growth of projects selected in the following categories: narrative feature films; animated feature films; documentaries; scripted series; docuseries; animated series, with the introduction of a new tool dedicated to gap financing.
The selected works will be presented within renewed Pitching Forums, designed to foster the construction of a more targeted and effective distribution, co-production and acquisition ecosystem. The forum will be divided into the following sections:
- Film Pitching Forum (Narrative Feature Films and Animation Feature Films)
- Doc Pitching Forum (Documentary Feature Films and Docuseries)
- Drama Pitching Forum (Scripted series – all formats)
Animation Series Gap Financing Market
MIA 2026 introduces a new programme exclusively dedicated to animated series, conceived as a new industry format aimed at projects already supported by broadcasters and partially financed. In this context, producers together with broadcasters will present animated series projects seeking international co-producers, co-financiers and co-commissioners, with the aim of completing their financial structure and launching production. Through the introduction of the Animation Series Gap Financing Market, MIA proposes an innovative model and a paradigm shift compared with other markets and traditional pitching forums. The initiative was created with multiple objectives: to foster the integration between editorially validated content and international partners; to accelerate financing processes for animated series; to facilitate sector players’ entry into projects that are already partially financed and broadcaster-backed; and to stimulate the production of animated serial content with strong international potential. Through this initiative, MIA further strengthens its strategic positioning as a reference platform for dialogue and development in European and international animation.
Content Showcases
Works in progress will be presented in the various MIA content showcases, which will promote distribution in foreign countries and, in other cases, offer a showcase for the sale of formats, depending on the language and category to which they belong:
- C EU SOON for European and international fiction and animation films
- GREENlit for European scripted series (drama and comedy)
- ITALIAN SERIES ANIMATION SHOWCASE for Italian animated series
- ITALIANS DOC IT BETTER for Italian documentary films and docuseries
Buyers Club
The programme dedicated to the circulation and sale of films intended for theatrical distribution will include Comin’UP, dedicated to the presentation of distributor slates. These are works that are about to be released, presented by sales agents to an audience of international buyers (theatrical and TV) and festival representatives. The Buyers Club will be further strengthened through dedicated networking activities and private screenings, organized by the Rome Film Fest and Alice nella Città, and also open to international buyers accredited to MIA.
European Investment Hub
Among the new features of this edition, MIA will become for two days a platform for dialogue and in-depth discussion dedicated to European and international financial instruments supporting the audiovisual industry, through the European Investment Hub (EIH). The project is created with the aim of facilitating access to structured financial solutions, which are increasingly central to the development, consolidation and competitiveness of creative companies. MIA intends to offer European and international operators a clear and concrete view of the available instruments and of the ways to access them. The EIH programme will focus on the analysis and in-depth examination of a broad spectrum of financial instruments including: co-production funds (regional, European, international and EU cooperation funds); equity funds dedicated to audiovisual and cultural and creative industries; guarantee funds and risk mitigation mechanisms, also in synergy with European and national institutions; completion bonds and insurance instruments supporting the completion of works; public-private co-investment models and local instruments supporting production; auteur brands as new financial partners. The activities will be structured into thematic round tables and informal networking moments, with the objective of fostering direct dialogue among operators, investors and institutions through a practical approach to understanding financial mechanisms and investment rationales.
“CASA MIA” – A new dimension of experiential networking
Among the main new features of MIA 2026 is “CASA MIA”, a project designed to redefine the market experience and strengthen its relational dimension. In this context, CASA MIA is configured as a large networking lounge, integrated with and located close to the main market areas, accessible to all accredited participants. It is a space conceived as a true “audiovisual hub”, where people can meet, work, exchange ideas and develop new opportunities in a welcoming, curated and functional environment in which professional relationships can develop spontaneously. It is an environment that not only facilitates networking, but also helps strengthen the sense of belonging to MIA’s international community.
