24/10/2018 - Lucia Milazzotto, the director of the MIA, talks to us about her approach and the changing needs of the film industry

The fourth edition of the MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo) market (17-21 October) was attended by more than 2,000 industry participants from over 50 countries. Lucia Milazzotto, the director of the MIA, talks to us about her approach, and the changing needs of an industry that is currently facing various challenges owing to additional market players, new technologies and business models that may have to be adapted.

Cineuropa: What is the approach of the MIA market?
Lucia Milazzotto: We set the bar very high. We have been very ambitious, and the results have almost exceeded our expectations. We have grown in terms of both the numbers and the quality of the participants who are attending. This year, we really have the top executives and decision-makers in our industry. Our goal was to create a market that would be more of a concept store than a Walmart, and it is working well. The key people are working on high-end content such as films, TV dramas and documentaries. The experts have been sharing their visions and knowledge. In Rome, there is a different kind of atmosphere than there is at other markets, and this in particular has been the best endorsement from all of the industry representatives who came – and more and more are coming back every year.

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Could you break down the attendance in figures?
This year, we’ve had over 2,000 participants from about 50 countries. In total, 40% of the attendees came to the MIA for the first time. We screened about 125 films, and we also presented a showcase with around 100 works in progress and 58 projects.

What is the secret of the MIA’s success? How does it attract so many industry representatives?
We have two strategies. Most importantly, we are the only market that is a real crossroads between cinema, TV and documentary. We basically set the bar depending on the industry and its needs. We don’t want to be the last market of the year, but rather the first one of the year to come, and so we have kept on with brand-new content. So we are working primarily on the projects and the in-progress content so that we can be an eagerly awaited appointment where people can come to discover hot content.

What kinds of trends are you seeing in the industry in terms of technology and distribution?
These are definitely disruptive times. We have new players in the market that are creating important opportunities in terms of distribution and reaching the audiences that we were at risk of losing. It is going to be interesting to understand how this relates to the independent producers and to the content that we are expecting. Of course, technology has always been linked to our sector, even if you think of it as art. Obviously, people are also dependent on technology in their daily lives as well as when watching content, whatever we are producing and distributing. It has to be regulated in terms of the value chain, but I think it will also offer opportunities.

Do you think producers should be developing their projects with more specific target audiences in mind nowadays?
I think producers think long and hard about the distribution of their content. It is basically one of the main issues that they are facing. On the other hand, distributors are very content-driven and are getting into the content sooner and sooner. If we consider global content, I believe everybody is looking for the next good deal, which entails a combination of content-driven and target-driven strategies.

At the MIA, there are several events that focus on the situation in Canada and the UK. Are these countries trendsetters in some ways?
Regarding the UK, we wanted to organise a focus because we wanted to provide a continental platform for people to discuss what is going to happen in terms of content, relationships and business models in the era of Brexit. We are not at the pre-Brexit stage any more; we are definitely in the Brexit era. And whatever the political decision turns out to be in terms of a cultural exception, Brexit will change the model. I am sure that the producers will get around the situation by building relationships, but it is still dramatically changing the status quo.

Meanwhile, Canada is crucial within the documentary sector. It is basically one of the countries where documentary production has received the most support and is therefore a really interesting case. 

How do you see the further development of the MIA market? Is the event already perfect?
We are never totally satisfied – we are always striving to improve something. For example, we started “What Is Next Italy?”, and now we’ve launched “See You Soon”, devoted to European films. We hope that we will be able to improve even more in terms of participation and activities. The good thing about the MIA is that we are really flexible and very tight with the industry. We have 60 people on board, and they are all key players within the industry. They contribute a great deal to building up the MIA as something that is able to change fast according to their needs. A space for European content was really lacking. The American Film Market is great – it is perhaps one of the greatest events we have, but it is very American. Europeans need a more tailored European market, and maybe the MIA has responded well to this need.