Yahoo Lifestyle ‘The Night Watch,’ ‘Death in Your Eyes’ Among Winners at Record-Breaking MIA Market in Rome
Dutch drama series “The Night Watch” was among the big winners at Rome’s MIA Market on Friday, taking home the MIA Development Award for Outstanding Drama Project as the growing industry event wrapped its 10th edition in the Eternal City.
The show was among a quartet of projects taking part in MIA’s Co-Production Market and Pitching Forum to be awarded by juries of international industry professionals. It was joined by “Death in Your Eyes,” from director Guillermo de Oliveira, which won the prize for best film project, documentary award winner “Reborn-Perfect Love,” from directors Giovanni Conte and Francesco Pascucci, and the Belgium-Poland-France co-production “Big Bang Parade” in the animation category.
More from Variety
More than 600 projects took part in this year’s co-production market and pitching forum, a 20% spike from 2023, while greater geographical diversity was on display than ever before, with 90 countries represented — a 12.5% increase from the 80 nations represented last year.
Attendance was also up 10% from the 2023 edition, with over 2,800 participants from 60 countries attending.
“MIA continues to grow and has established itself as a high-profile event capable of engaging the entire audiovisual industry,” said Francesco Rutelli, president of ANICA (National Association of Cinematographic, Audiovisual and Digital Industries). “In its tenth year, it reaffirms its ability to attract international players’ attention, interest and resources to the national system, contributing to the growth of Italian companies’ capacity to develop dialogues and collaborations essential for the advancement of the industry, employment, products and the soft power of our country.”
“This edition of MIA has successfully attracted and expanded the international audience, a result that, as APA, strengthens the voice of producers in the audiovisual sector,” added APA (Audiovisual Producers Association) president Chiara Sbarigia. “The internationalization of the industry depends both on our sector’s ability to modernize and train new professionals, and on making our regions more competitive. I am confident that the path we are pursuing and the work we are doing are heading directly in this direction.”
Written by Steven Friedman and produced by Edvard van ‘t Wout for Continent Studios, “The Night Watch” is billed as a tale of magic, friendship and mysteries buried beneath the city of Amsterdam. The jury said the project “presents a bold and deeply engaging concept that is sure to captivate audiences around the world,” adding: “This show has the potential to entertain at a time when there is a need for escapism and humor, in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming. It has the ability to create common ground for audiences of all generations by offering shared experiences based on quality storytelling.”
“Death in Your Eyes,” from director Guillermo de Oliveira and producers Silvia Fuentes (Sétima) and Nuria Landete García (Sideral Cinema), draws on the childhood memory of a famous news case to explore the dynamics of power at various levels in a world where violence and money are the only currencies in circulation. The jury praised how it “subtly constructs a narrative that intertwines the principles of film noir with a deep psychological exploration,” presenting “a complex portrait of characters who lose their humanity in a world dominated by greed, corruption and violence.”
Animation award winner “Big Bang Parade” is an episodic film produced by Annemie Degryse for Lunanime and directed by Nienke Deutz, Sine and Imge Özbilge, Karolien Raeymaekers, Hermien Verstraeten, Britt Raes and Martyna Koleniec. It’s co-produced by Momakin and Les productions de Milou. In the film, two children open a secret chest which contains only a bag of marbles, only to discover that each marble contains a tiny growing world inhabited by surprising and colorful creatures. The jury said it “found the stories authentic to the imagination and experience of children” and added that the project “offers opportunities for new female directorial talent within our industry.”
“Reborn-Perfect Love,” which won the documentary development award, is directed by Giovanni Conte and Francesco Pascucci and produced by Nicola Maiello and Camilla Gazzola (Amartia Film). It explores the phenomenon of reborn dolls, hyper-realistic reproductions of newborns who are treated as if they were real children. The jury praised the film’s creators for a “strong, emotional and very personal presentation on an untold story.”
At the close of its 10th edition, MIA Market director Gaia Tridente said the event is only growing from strength to strength.
“Thanks to its strong identity and credibility, MIA has now earned an important place in the agendas of international operators. It is a unique curatorial market, a strategic player in the co-production market and a fundamental engine for the financing, distribution and circulation of works and talents,” she said.
“It represents the needs of an entire ecosystem made up of the different industries and genres that make up the audiovisual sector, offering dedicated activities for the different formats, taking into account both distribution in theaters and consumption on TV and platforms. It is a mirror of the transformation of the audiovisual sector, capable of capturing and anticipating changes with particular attention to technological innovation for the creative industries.”
Best of Variety
The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Al Pacino to Lisa Marie Presley
From Taylor and Travis to Oasis: The Best Couples Costumes to Wear This Halloween
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
