Mifa 2019: A Record Attendance

The Mifa has just ended with a new record edition, consolidating its status as the largest single market in the world devoted to animated film.

This event, with more than 4,000 badgeholders (+9%*) from 82 countries and bringing together professionals and talents from global audiovisual and animation film industries, continues to evolve.

“Faced with the Mifa’s constant evolution since 2005, with last year’s record attendance and the development of the animation industry in France and internationally, we knew that we had several challenges to address this year,” states Véronique Encrenaz, the new Head of Mifa.

“Along with Mickaël Marin and our teams, we designed this 2019 edition with particular focus on the welcome and support for the professionals, both regulars and first-time visitors to the Mifa, who increasingly consider Annecy as the unmissable annual event. The immediate feedback received leads us to believe that we made the right choices, she adds, now we must simply continue in this vein and introduce new initiatives that we already have on the backburner.”

12 Years of Continuous Growth

• 4,143 accreditations, +9%*
• 1,881 participating companies, +8.4%*
• 433 buyers, distributers and investors
• 120 events at the Mifa this year, +14%*

82 countries represented on a larger 8,000m² meeting area. This included a Japanese delegation, whose country’s animation was honored this year, with nearly 150 Japanese representatives and 50 companies present (compared with 68 accredited from 35 structures last year) and an increase of professionals from Africa.

First time stands under their representative colours: the Région Grand Est, the École Émile Cohl, companies such as Epic Games, Noitom International, Go-N, Mediatoon, Orange (OCS, Orange Studio, Orange VR Experience), PGS and Zodiak, etc.

The Mifa Pitch projects are on the rise: 498 projects submitted (+6.4%*), 37 projects selected, 14 led by women, and 10 projects proposed in the Animation du Monde section – a privileged showcase for works and artists from emerging countries – from Columbia, Singapore, Mozambique, Peru, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Armenia, Turkey.

A New XR Dimension

Within the XR@Annecy transversal programming developed this year, a new dimension was also provided for XR at the Mifa. For the first time companies such as Orange, Epic Games, Vrroom VRrOOm, Ubisoft, Word VR Group, CG Lux and Telefilm/Vancouver VR were present.

We can also note a reinforced presence from Unity, the official partner of the Mifa Campus this year.

2019 Highlights

Mifa Animation Industry Award goes to

Marc du Pontavice

The Mifa Animation Industry Award was rewarded to one of the most esteemed French animation producers, Marc du Pontavice and his company Xilam that currently reflects all production’s diversity, from series for children and families to animation aimed at adults (Oggy and the Cockroaches, Mr Magoo, I Lost My Body) also opening up new horizons towards fun and educative content (Paprika, Oggy Oggy, etc.).

Some very coveted recruitment sessions

1,043 candidates (compared with 920 in 2018), from the 9,000 who applied, were received during the 68 recruitment sessions (52% France; 40% Europe; 8% outside of the EU).

The major studios, such as Illumination MacGuff, The Walt Disney Company, Laika, Sony, Cube Creative, Mikros Animation, Xilam Animation, TAT Prod, Blue Spirit, and others were able to meet young professionals from all over the world.

New recruiters: Netflix, People Moving Pixels (Spain), Solidanim (France)…

Focus on Women at the Mifa

• Nora Twomey: the Mifa Campus’ first female patron, followed in Guillermo del Toro and Richard Williams’ footsteps.
• 3rd Women in Animation World Summit organized by Women in Animation and Les Femmes s’Animent.
• 1,789 women badegholders that is more than 40% of the Mifa accreditations
• 30% are women among the 170 international experts invited to the Mifa, in other words +8%*
• Among the 1,043 candidates at the recruitment sessions, 610 were female candidates, almost 55%.

Honoring African animation in 2020

After paying tribute to Japan in 2019, animation from the African continent will be at the heart of the Annecy Festival’s programming at the Mifa 2020, in parallel with the Institut français’ Africa Season 2020.

Source: Annecy