The main part of MIFA 2025 will be completed today, leaving for Friday just sole meetings and some networking activities. Yesterday big moment was the traditional France TV press conference, today it’s Canal+ time. We may make a wrap up in advance: though the animation industry is in one of our toughest moments ever, due to the financing crisis that affects most of the projects, there are many solutions, tools in process that are already beginning to show results. MIFA this has been a strong engine and showcase for them.

Veronique Encrenaz, director of MIFA, said exclusively to Prensario: ‘Last year edition I stressed the solidarity of the industry, to help each other and find solutions together. Now this year the sensation is much stronger, vs the general financing crisis. We’ve received +18000 people to ANNECY FESTIVAL, 6500 to MIFA, we keep growing every year. We’ve got 117 countries, from 103 last year, now from all the regions: more Africa especially, but also Australia & New Zealand, Bangladesh, Latin American countries, among others’.

‘The AI implementation is one of the solutions for financing problems, to save costs, automate processes, generate alternative niches. On Wednesday its central conference had full audience (for Prensario, about 700 people). Another way of financing solutions is IP management: to adapt your story to a game, to a book, a movie, live shows, etc. We provide events (CNC) and one to one meetings between IP owners and licensing and game companies to do networking and build relationships. For next year, what? More 360 developments, to address more technology, AI, real time, both for the business and education, as we receive 4500 students’.

At the France TV (main French pubcaster) press conference, president Delphine Ernotte-Cunci said that its company is a ‘Premium partner for global animation, not only France or Europe’. And sentenced: ‘These are very difficult financing times, but be sure that we will continue betting on the production of original animation. We look for options and different business models, but always on board’. Samuel Kaminka, president of AnimFrance, French producers of animation, resumed just to Prensario: ‘Our industry is fine, we are the third place in the world after US and Japan. The problem is that Youtube taking a good amount of advertising budget from broadcasters, which are our main investors’.

More financing solution tips? Josie Grierson, Hasbro (UK): ‘We are strongly working with our main IPs to generate more products and 360 developments’. Ylka Tapia, El Reino Infantil (Argentina) big Youtube community success: ‘Youtube is not a monster, it is just the evolution of the content market. When you get involved, you find good business. The secret is to find the right partners’.

Maria Bonaria Fois, president Digitoonz (India): ‘A good road is to coproduce with the countries with better fiscal incentives, as Canada, Australia, India, many European countries. To save costs assuring quality’. Constance Roboam, Miam! (France): ‘It is good to use AI and technology to generate more programs from original one: with Real tjme CGI, you create fast from a 11-minute episode series, a movie and a short-form 3-minute series for mobile’.

Leyla Formoso, Prime (UK): ‘The traditional financing system of animation doesn’t exist anymore. We have to evolve to digital, new territories, new collaborations, new pushes with the Governments. This way, a future is possible’. Claudia Scott-Hansen, Cookbook (USA): ‘Today it is important to monetize large catalogues. If it is hard production, acquisitions can re-open opportunities. FAST in digital, short forms that are still not many, preschool new products’. ‘Keep moving forward’, Walt Disney said.

Nicolás Smirnoff, from Annecy

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