Growing European marketplace and pitching forum running alongside the Annecy International Animated Film Festival swells to four days with an expanded exhibition floor, the MIFA Campus, and more.
Following ten years of uninterrupted growth that has seen participation double, MIFA, the European marketplace and pitching forum running June 13-16 alongside the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (June 12-17).
This year, the main MIFA area is getting a new exhibition floor of more than 1,000 square meters where participants will find the welcome area and areas for public organizations and schools, as well as space for technical service providers and recruiting studios. This reorganization will free up the ground floor space for the Conferences, previously based at the Chambre de métiers, in the Impérial Palace.
The ever-increasing number of participants, the richness of the program, and the growing attendance of decision makers throughout Festival week have motivated organizers to extend MIFA to four full days, giving delegates the opportunity for more networking.
Something new for 2017
Each year, the MIFA Pitches showcase the best in original animation projects in their first phase of development. Co-production, financing, distribution and the transfer of expertise will once again make up the pillars of the program presented to participants. The Territory Focus, Share With, Meet the Festival Programmers and Meet the Funds sessions, the Video Library, Pitch sessions, and Animation du Monde will be back again, along with a new session -- Meet the Publishers -- aimed at producers and book publishers.
Consistent with its continuing commitment to encourage contact between industry professionals and emerging talent, MIFA 2017 will see the inauguration of the MIFA Campus. Dedicated mainly to students and young talent from emerging countries in animation, the MIFA Campus will offer workshops and presentations with aiming to encourage a greater understanding of the industry along with the possibility of meeting up with well-known industry names whose careers are inspiring and energizing. The MIFA Campus will complement the Recruitment sessions, which experienced considerable growth at last year’s Market.
Project Submissions
Online submissions for the MIFA pitch sessions opened on November 7th and will still be accepted through February 1st via www.annecy.org/take-part/submit-a-film and www.annecy.org/take-part/submit-a-project.
Short films, features, TV series & specials, and transmedia projects will all be accepted for consideration. Last year, MIFA received only 15 submissions from the U.S. out of a total of 400 entries. The roughly 30 projects selected to participate were given free accreditation for Annecy, as well as the opportunity to pitch their projects before a panel of industry professionals and potential co-production deals.
Taking part in the MIFA Pitches is a real opportunity for creators to make their projects concrete, and the majority of projects selected each year get realized. Here is a look at some of the completed projects coming out of MIFA: www.annecy.org/mifa/mifa-pitches/project-updates.
Source: Annecy International Film Festival
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
