From 19 to 23 October 2026 Rome returns to the center of the international audiovisual industry with the twelfth edition of the MIA | Audiovisual International Market, promoted by ANICA and APA and directed by Gaia Tridente. For five days, Via Veneto and Piazza Barberini are transformed into a district dedicated to cinema, seriality, documentary, animation and entertainment, bringing together creativity, industry, finance and innovation.
The 2026 edition comes with a renewed configuration and a strong international character. There are 630 projects registered in the market call, 26% more than 2025, from 83 countries. Of these, 104 projects from 43 countries were selected for MIA’s industrial programs, while the editorial program includes over 40 conferences, talks and meetings distributed in seven official locations, with 85 international speakers and a female presence of more than 40%.
Un mercato che cambia insieme all’industria audiovisiva
The guiding thread of the edition is the evolution of a sector in which boundaries between genres, languages and business models become increasingly mobile. The Innovation Conference Programme for Creative Industries addresses these transformations, comparing producers, broadcasters, platforms, investors, talents and professionals from different markets.
Among the events dedicated to international production will be How To Navigate Challenges And Opportunities In International Film And TV, which will analyze the path necessary to transform a creative idea into a film or a series capable of finding talents, funding, partners and public even beyond national borders. The focus of the comparison will also be creative packaging, international alliances and financial construction of the projects.
Another theme concerns the sustainability of independent production. Can Regulation Strengthen Independent Producers? will bring to the table issues such as the protection of IP rights, relationships with broadcasters and platforms, investment obligations and the possibility for independent companies to build value in the long term.
L’intelligenza artificiale entra nel programma del MIA
Among the transversal themes of the 2026 edition is Artificial Intelligence. The Producing with AI panel: Augmentation or Replacement? will address the concrete use of AI along the production chain, with a comparison dedicated to the possibilities offered by new technologies and the transformations that can produce in the working processes. The panel will follow a keynote by Al Munteanu, CEO of BriskPace Studios. My
The program also looks at the change in how the public discovers and follows stories. Who Are We Still Making Drama For? Reconnecting Storytelling and Audiences compares broadcasters, studios and new digital players on the relationship with new generations, the creator economy, social media and short-form drama.
La nuova frontiera dei finanziamenti
One of the main innovations of the MIA 2026 is the European Investment Hub, a platform dedicated to the relationship between audiovisual industry, capital and financial instruments. The goal is to create a meeting point between producers and creative companies on one side and funds, banks, investors, institutions and advisors on the other, addressing tools such as equity, private credit, gap financing and co-production funds.
The program opens on 19 October at Palazzo Barberini with the Opening Framework, dedicated to European financial instruments and policies to support the growth of audiovisual. During the same day there are also territorial round tables created with CineRegio, with the participation of many European regional funds.
Finance will be at the centre of several appointments on October 20, from the Global Film Finance: Unlocking Italy’s Potential to Equity & Growth Capital: Investing in Creativity, IP and Long-Term Value, up to The Last Mile. How Projects Reach Financial Close, dedicated to the final phase of the financial construction of a project.
Dall’animazione al vertical drama
MIA also pays special attention to new formats and emerging markets. The Vertical Drama Forum will be dedicated to vertical, micro and short-form drama, bringing together international professionals to analyze creative languages and rapidly expanding market models.
Among the novelties is the Animation Series Gap Financing Market, a program aimed at animated series already supported by broadcasters and largely funded. Producers will be able to present their projects to international decision makers looking for co-producers, co-commissioners and distributors, with the aim of completing their financial structure and getting to production. There are 19 selected projects from 15 countries, with seven international co-productions.
Il focus sulla Corea e le nuove storie internazionali
Another important space will be dedicated to South Korea, through a collaboration with KOCCA – Korea Creative Content Agency. MIA will host a delegation of Korean professionals and companies, along with showcases, B2B meetings and moments dedicated to the new trends of Korean content.
Diane Min, Head of European Content Sales of CJ ENM, will explore some titles such as The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, Dear X and True Beauty, while the program will also present Betting on Fact, reality news game show developed by NEXTKEY and launched in 2026 on the Korean Wavve platform.
Cinema, documentari e musica
The program also passes through the documentary and the relationship between music and images. Among international guests is Asif Kapadia, Oscar-winning director author of Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona, who will retrace his creative and international path, focusing on the relationship between real stories and film language. The documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto will also be present at MIA, who will talk about over forty years of cinema and his latest film Dalton’s Dream.
The SCORE (R)Evolution panel is dedicated to music. How Music Shapes Reality: From Documentary Truth to Cinematic Mythmaking, which will bring together composers and music creators to discuss the role of music in building characters, emotions and identities, from documentaries to musical biopics. Among the protagonists are Pippo Mezzapesa, Geneva Nervi, Tommaso Piotta and Federico Zampaglione.
Il rapporto tra audiovisivo e calcio
For the first time the MIA and Lega Calcio Serie A also develop an event dedicated to the meeting between audiovisual industry and football. The initiative aims to bring together producers and new intellectual properties from the football ecosystem, exploring the possibility of developing stories and projects for cinema, series, documentaries and new formats.
The program also includes Roma Lazio in Serie: Market Insight, created in collaboration with Fondazione Roma Lazio Film Commission, dedicated to the transformations of seriality, from new production models to broadcasting strategies and platforms, through coproduction, financing and international circulation of content.
I numeri e gli appuntamenti principali
Among the institutional appointments is the presentation of the 8th Report on national audiovisual production, scheduled on 21 October at Palazzo Barberini. The research will offer a photograph of economic and employment values and industry trends in the period 2025-2026. Following is a comparison of the quality of the productions with representatives of Rai Fiction, Netflix, Medusa Film, Sky Studios Italia, Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery.
On October 22nd, ANICA will present an insight into the consumption of films after the passage into the room, analyzing the use through pay services, linear television and streaming.
With this new edition, MIA aims to put in the same space the different elements that today make up the audiovisual industry: from ideas to production, from talents to broadcasters, from distribution to new formats, to the capital needed to transform projects into works and accompany them on international markets. The 2026 programme thus reflects a strong transformation of industry, with particular attention to new technologies, financial models and increasingly fragmented public research.
L’articolo MIA 2026 in Rome: program, novelties and appointments of the Audiovisual Market proviene da Dituttounpop.it.
