MIFA, the animation content market inside the Annecy Festival in France, finishes today with a good outcome: though the serious financing problems continue, the solutions are on road and taking speed. Collaborations, synergies, cross-media business as 360 as possible, the Digital First universe, are the new pillars to build above. MIFA 2026 figures? Quite the same but a bit up from last year: 7000 participants, including 350 buyers, 120 countries, 200 exhibitors. The Annecy Festival joined total 19.000 attendees.

Veronique Encrenaz, MIFA director, stressed Prensario the active role of the event for the evolution of animation industry: ‘This is a moment for fresh networking, to open minds, so we’ve made panels, workshops, pitchings, one to one meeting programs, to push new collaborations. On Monday, the previous MIFA day, there were 4 workshops: Private Investments, because public funds are falling, we invited new private financing companies to interact; MIFA AI, a day to lay the foundations for a future white paper on AI in animation, co-organised with Creative Machines collective; Games, where we deployed a ‘Cinematic Contest’, to generate a trailer of any game to push 360 business; and Theatrical complex holders, a sector usually not considered but key to reach massive awareness’.

‘Also on Wednesday, we’ve made the Animation European Summit, bringing politician to interact to industry members and enrich both sides. Emma Rafowicz, European Parliament Deputy who is developing the Agora program, to push audiovisual ventures, participated in one of the panels. This event was very appreciated and is intended to be long-lasting. Lastly, we’ve developed an specific Cross IP exhibitor area, involving book publishers, licensing companies and different IP creators, to interact and adapt for animation films and series. We’ve worked closely with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which develops these synergy activities during all the year’.

Justly, Cristina Angelucci, from Bologna Children’s Book Fair: ‘This has been our first time at MIFA, feeding the Cross IP section with books and all kinds of licensing opportunities. To work fully 360 is not only an obligation in these times with so financing problems on traditional business, but also an unique access to fresh stories, ways of storytelling. The end user is not passive anymore, he gets connected with brands, stories, and wants to consume in many different ways. The digital ecosystem is catapulting this trend’.

To complete the picture, it is good to hear Peter Solvsten from Angel Films, Denmark, a feature film buyer for the Nordics markets: ‘We’ve been in the film sector for 25 years, and now business got extremely difficult for independent product. I agree with the MIFA decision of including theatrical floor owners, because they have to participate to find solutions. If going to cinemas is today expensive, for animation and family content it is much more, because you include 4-5 people. If they can’t reduce the cost of family tickets, maybe they could sell annual fees for ten movies, for instance, to make audience habit easier’.

What can we expect for MIFA next year? Encrenaz: ‘The ‘Private investments’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence’ initiatives are programs for three years, with guaranteed support, and for sure we will increase the cross-media ventures, the industry has abraced them. MIFA is the place where the animation industry meets each other and find solutions together. We must help to make them evolve. There are a lot of work to be done’.

Nicolás Smirnoff

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