<\/p>\n
New projects from Canadian\u00a0filmmaker\u00a0Xavier Dolan\u00a0(\u201cMommy,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Only the End of the World\u201d), Marvel and Disney concept artist Andrew Leung (\u201cMulan,\u201d \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d) and French animator and director\u00a0El\u00e9a Gobbe-M\u00e9vellec (\u201cThe Swallows of Kabul\u201d) are among the projects taking center-stage at this year\u2019s MIA Market, which runs Oct. 6 \u2013 10 in Rome.<\/p>\n
More than 100\u00a0international TV series and formats, animation, feature films and documentaries in various stages of the production cycle will be pitched to hundreds of top execs this week in the Eternal City, underscoring the growing influence of the pre-Mipcom boutique event.<\/p>\n
More from Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking to\u00a0Variety<\/em>\u00a0on the eve<\/a> of this year\u2019s edition, MIA head\u00a0Gaia Tridente stressed the \u201cmeticulous work\u201d done by her curatorial team to identify market-ready projects and \u201cbring together producers, distributors and content providers and help relevant projects get out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe generate deals and therefore serve as a real industry cornerstone,\u201d Tridente said. \u201cTitles that participate at MIA don\u2019t disappear into thin air, most of them eventually find their way [into the market]. This is also thanks to a team that clearly curates and develops projects and a program that is aligned with market needs and demands.\u201d<\/p>\n Headlining the MIA Market\u2019s influential drama strand, which features 15 projects from 12 countries, is the French series \u201cRage,\u201d directed by Xavier Dolan, which charts\u00a0the rise of the skinhead movement in 1980s Paris.\u00a0Created by\u00a0Ana\u00efs\u00a0Topla and Mathieu Gouny and\u00a0produced by Manon Robillot and Laetitia Quentin de Gromard\u2019s Paris-based Madelon Production, the show is being pitched as a \u201cbold, stylish series that can be experienced on many levels\u201d while blending \u201cspectacular action with\u00a0emotional depth.\u201d The six-episode series, currently in early development, will be written by\u00a0Topla, Gouny and Marc Herpoux.<\/p>\n Other drama standouts include \u201cWriters Retreat,\u201d produced by the U.K.\u2019s BlackBox Multimedia (\u201cThe Ex-Wife,\u201d \u201cHome Education\u201d) and written and created by Lindsay Shapero (\u201cWinter Palace\u201d), which\u00a0follows the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a guest at a luxurious retreat in Spain.\u00a0From\u00a0Dublin-based \u201cIrish Blood\u201d producers Deadpan Pictures and\u00a0Canadian shingle\u00a0Shaftesbury Films comes\u00a0\u201cThe Roaring Banshees,\u201d an adaptation of the hit play by John Morton and Peter McGann that follows an all-female band of Irish rebels who find themselves pursuing a life of crime in 1920s Chicago.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0\u201cRed Light Empire,\u201d from Dutch production group Lemming Film, tells the story of a Holocaust orphan determined to build an empire in Amsterdam\u2019s red-light district. The series is\u00a0directed by Tim Oliehoek and written by Michael Leendertse and Sarah Offringa. Greek production heavyweight Faliro House will also be in Rome to present \u201cA\u00efnta!,\u201d a rags-to-riches tale about a second-generation Greek Ghanaian immigrant chasing his dreams to become a rap star. The series is created by\u00a0Kevin Zans Ansong \u2014 better known as the Greek Ghanaian rapper Negros Tou Moria \u2014 along with Stavros Pamballis\u00a0and\u00a0Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos.<\/p>\n Among the seven feature films and nine series selected to pitch in MIA\u2019s animation strand is \u201cAncient China of Mars,\u201d a sci-fi dramedy series from L.A.-based filmmaker and animator Andrew Leung, the concept artist behind Disney\u2019s \u201cMulan\u201d and Marvel\u2019s \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.\u201d Produced by Snarky Elephant Productions, the show is an offbeat yet timely exploration of the immigrant experience, told through the lens of a Chinese family running a failing restaurant on a space station orbiting Mars. The series offers a pointed metaphor for how \u201cthe\u00a0American dream these days is feeling more and more like a fantasy,\u201d according to Leung.<\/p>\n Another anticipated title is \u201cThe Northern Star,\u201d from French animator and director\u00a0El\u00e9a Gobbe-M\u00e9vellec, whose debut feature \u201cThe Swallows of Kabul\u201d premiered in the Cannes Film Festival\u2019s Un Certain Regard section in 2019. Created with Milada Tesitelova, the film follows a 17-year-old North Korean refugee who escapes to Seoul, offering a \u201cpolitical, artistic and deeply\u00a0human story of a young woman caught between two\u00a0Koreas,\u201d according to\u00a0Gobbe-M\u00e9vellec.<\/p>\n Other titles\u00a0in a loaded animation lineup include\u00a0\u201cArgonauts,\u201d an adult, sci-fi, action-adventure series created by Simon Duric,\u00a0the co-creator, co-writer and\u00a0executive producer of the Netflix series \u201cThe Innocents,\u201d starring Guy Pearce. Produced by\u00a0Echo Lake Entertainment and\u00a0Northern Ireland outfit ALT Animation, the series offers a futuristic spin on the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Also being pitched this week is \u201cThe Rejects,\u201d a 10-episode series created by\u00a0John McEwan-Whyte and Julie Bower, which follows a team of history\u2019s most overlooked sidekicks as they try to save the world. It\u2019s produced by \u201cRick & Morty\u201d producer Rick Mischel\u2019s Emmy-winning Artists Animation Studio and McEwan-Whyte\u2019s Scottish animation studio Bonnie and Braw.<\/p>\n Standouts among the 12 feature films taking the stage in Rome include \u201cFugue,\u201d from award-winning Irish filmmaker Ivan Kavanaugh (\u201cNever Grow Old\u201d) and Dublin-based genre production outfit Fantastic Films, which tells a haunting tale of possession, sacrifice and eternal return told through the lens of a piano tuner forced to take shelter in a remote house during a brutal storm. From Egyptian powerhouse Film Clinic comes \u201cDraft Zero,\u201d a feature debut by Ahmed El Zoghby, which follows a struggling filmmaker in Cairo who begins documenting a refugee family\u2019s story to save his crumbling life.<\/p>\n Another first-time director, Norway\u2019s Tatiana Delaunay, will present \u201cSummer of Jesus,\u201d which follows a guilt-ridden environmental activist\u2019s return to her Italian roots, where she grapples with love, grief and cultural clashes. The film is produced by Norwegian heavyweight\u00a0Thomas Robsahm, who\u2019s credited for more than 50 films, including Joachim Trier\u2019s double Oscar-nominated \u201cThe Worst Person in the World.\u201d<\/p>\n Documentary highlights at the MIA Market include \u201cThe Lawyer,\u201d from director Maciej Bochniak and Polish production powerhouse Madants (\u201cHigh Life,\u201d \u201cThe Silent Twins\u201d), a feature film about a brilliant young Kenyan lawyer who finds the tables turned when he comes under investigation, and \u201cBuilding Venice,\u201d a documentary series about the hidden side of the iconic Italian city,\u00a0from director\u00a0Katia Bernardi and\u00a0the team behind the Warner Bros. Discovery action-doc series \u201cExtreme Mountain Carpenters.\u201d<\/p>\n Awards will be handed out at the MIA Market\u2019s conclusion on Oct. 10, among them the Sony Pictures Television Award, which will be presented for the very first time this year. The award will honor the best drama project selected from the MIA Drama Co-production Market & Pitching Forum, as chosen by a jury from Sony Pictures Television.<\/p>\n Rome\u2019s MIA Market runs Oct. 6 \u2013 10.<\/p>\n Best of Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New projects from Canadian\u00a0filmmaker\u00a0Xavier Dolan\u00a0(\u201cMommy,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Only the End of the World\u201d), Marvel and Disney concept artist Andrew Leung (\u201cMulan,\u201d \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d) and French animator and director\u00a0El\u00e9a Gobbe-M\u00e9vellec (\u201cThe Swallows of Kabul\u201d) are among the projects taking center-stage at this year\u2019s MIA Market, which runs Oct. 6 \u2013 10 in Rome. More than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2074213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[389167,346900,389170,389169,364508,389171,389172,389159,313036,389168],"class_list":["post-2074212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-andrew-leung","tag-animation","tag-canadian-filmmaker","tag-concept-artist","tag-feature-films","tag-gaia-tridente","tag-mathieu-gouny","tag-mia-market","tag-rome","tag-xavier-dolan"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Xavier-Dolans-\u2018Rage-Andrew-Leungs-\u2018Ancient-China-of-Mars-Elea.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2074212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2074214,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074212\/revisions\/2074214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2074213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2074212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2074212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2074212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}