Fan power is the theme of the upcoming MIPTV: a power that is growing on the fast evolving media landscape and which is particularly pertinent to TV series, the other real protagonist of the world entertainment market to be held from April 4th to 7th in Cannes with the launch of Drama Screenings.
This year MIPTV’s new features start a day before the market opens: on April 3rd 350 invited buyers will have the chance to preview 12 new TV series with 15-20 minute excerpts preceded by a presentation from the creative teams.
The selection is being carried out by a committee of very famous showrunners and creators, Teresa Fernández Valdés, RamÓn Campos, Chris Long, Sarah Felphs, Søren Sveistrup and Anna Winger.
“We are launching this event to meet the requests of our clients and satisfy their hunger for quality drama,” explains Laurine Garaude, director of the Television Division of Reed Midem, “we want to help buyers get the best out of their Miptv, to give them a ‘guide’ that allows them to see what’s new in advance and in an exciting way”.

At the end there will also be an award presented by an advisory board which has been constituted for the launch of Drama Screenings: “it is made up of top acquisition executives who are working with us to think up new drama projects at all the MIP events”, continues Garaude, and announces: “we are working with them on the development of a TV Festival that could be the evolution of Drama Screenings: there is a real need for a new international television festival”.
The members of the board are Sarah Wright (BSkyB -UK), Christian Vesper (Sundance TV- US), Aline Marrache-Tesse- raud (Canal+ -France), Ruediger Boess (ProSiebenSat1-Germany), Anette Romer (TV2-Denmark), Zelda Stewart (Mediaset–Italy) and Ignacio Barrera (Albavision-US /LatAm).

Another new feature will be the special focus on Germany which will be officially announced at the Berlinale: “we can expect some very exciting screenings from Germany and a program of conferences. German content has become increasingly popular and there is a new wave of drama being created in Germany which is very strong. It is no wonder that Anna Winger, writer and co-creator of “Deutschland 83” is on our Drama Screenings selection jury”, adds Garaude.
Germany will also be heavily involved in Mipdoc, the two days dedicated to documentaries that will precede the market along with Mipformats.
“There will be a whole series of workshops for producers organized in association with Germany’s The Documentary Campus.
More and more producers are attending Mipdoc and, in addition to the program library, we are introducing a project library for producers to show new projects and start negotiations about financing or co-productions.
Mipdoc will also include the world premiere screening of “The Story of God”, hosted by executive producer Morgan Freeman, which is being distributed by the Fox International Channel and broadcast by National Geographic, and a key note by Morgan Spurlock talking about his new project and how he is reinventing the documentary genre”.

Among the keynotes at MIPTV announced so far, there is the world famous thriller writer Harlan Coben, “who will be announcing and probably showing part of his first TV series, the epic thriller series “The Five””, as well as Dominique Delport, President of content at VIVENDI and Group Global MD of HAVAS MEDIA.
The brand of the year is Mattel, represented by the President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson: “we will dedicate a whole day to brands inside the MIP Digital Fronts program in the presence of many of the top VIP brand representatives, mostly from Europe: we are setting up a tailored program for them to meet creators with an event called “Brands and on-line video lunch summit” on Tuesday 5th.”

The section dedicated to kids is stronger than ever (“1000 buyers out of the 4000 attending MIPTV are here for kids content” says Garaude), and this year it will be enriched by the Kids International Emmy Awards, the fourth edition of which will take place on 5 April.
“After collaborating with the International Emmy Awards for many years, we are delighted and honored to welcome them to MIPTV,” concludes Garaude – and the nominees also include an Italian title: “Braccialetti Rossi” (Rai-Palomar-Big Bang Media).