The talk ‘What US distributors want’ will take place during the fifth edition of MIA – Mercato Internazionale dell’Audiovisivo (International Audiovisual Market) in Rome between October 16th and 20th, and will be exclusively centered on film distribution in the United States.

The event will be hosted by major sales agents and distributors in the international arena, like Thania Dimitrakopoulou, Kristen Figeroid, Richard Lorber, John Von Thaden and Ryan Werner. They will tackle the topic of access points for international films into the American market, one of the most globally competitive at the moment.

The meeting will highlight the importance of promotion and marketing strategies in order to reach this objective, pointing out the key features that American distributors hunt for.

Nowadays, one of the main access points into the US market comes from participating in festivals, with the Academy Awards — the oldest and most prestigious cinema honors — being the most relevant.

This year, for the first time, there has been a record number of films presented to participate in the Best Foreign Movie award category. In fact, 93 countries have sent their candidates, attempting to secure their place on the famous ‘shortlist” of 10 titles. Il Traditore (The Traitor) by Marco Bellocchio, a film that tells the story of the Sicilian mafioso Tommaso Buscetta, will represent Italy.