The MIA Awards ceremony took place on Thursday, October 22, in the Sala Giardino d’Inverno of the Hotel Westin Excelsior in Rome. It is the closing event of MIA – Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, running from October 19 to 23. The evening was led by Gaia Tridente, Director of MIA, who thanked ANICA and APA, the organisers of the market since 2015. Jurors, partners and producers took the stage to honour the projects that emerged from the Co-Production Markets and the work-in-progress showcases.
The first prize was the Screen International Award, for the best project from the C EU Soon showcase. It went to Off Season (Temporada Baixa) by Marta Font, produced by Mireia Graell Vivancos (Ringo Media, Spain). The GEDI Visual Award, reserved for titles in Italians Doc It Better, was given to The Decoy Artist – The Incredible Story of Mario Moselli and Saddam Hussein’s Phantom Army, directed by Gigi Roccati and produced by Verdiana. The WIFTMI Award, now in its fifth edition, honoured Animal Instinct by Vittoria Rizzardi Peñalosa, produced by Cinefonie.
The Mnemonica Award made its debut. The prize, which offers two years of cloud storage and media delivery services worth 5,000 euros, went to Diatribe by Shaun O’Connor, produced by Maureen O’Connell (3 Hot Whiskey Productions, Ireland). For the third year in a row, the Sony Pictures Television Award was presented, and this year it went to The Inheritance, produced by Kristoffel Mertens and Kato Maes for Panenka (Belgium).
The final block was dedicated to the MIA Development Awards, which this year grow to five with the new prize for animated film.
• Outstanding Animation Series Project: Sophie, If You Are There Give Us a Sign!, produced by Emanuela Cavazzini (Brand-Cross Srl)
• Outstanding Documentary Project: Loving Ika by Emilio Di Stefano and Fabian Sigurd, produced by Daniéla Frykstrand (Gunilla Film AB). Special mention to Bleaching Nemo by Jason Brooks, produced by Pierangelo Pirak
• Outstanding Live Action Film Project: The Lost Sons of Nada by Kyran Davies and Scott Quinn, produced by Poolboy and Falcon Nest Film
• Outstanding Animated Film Project: All the softness in the World (France) by Ayce Kartal, produced by Les Valseurs
• Outstanding Drama Project: Day Traitors, produced by Deborah Bayer Marlow and Michael Bille Frandsen (Nordisk Film Production, Denmark)
To close the evening, Tridente invited the editorial and organisational team on stage, together with the whole staff. MIA 2026 is organised with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and of ICE – Agency for the Promotion Abroad and Internationalisation of Italian Companies. It also receives contributions from Creative Europe MEDIA and the Ministry of Culture, with support from the Rome Lazio Film Commission Foundation and the Lazio Region. This edition is held in collaboration with the Department for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion of Roma Capitale, and under the patronage of Eurimages.
Photo Credits: ©2026 Mia — Courtesy of Mia
