Mipcom, online, is more global

What about Day 2? There were showcases from China, Korea, Russia and Turkey, and awards for Japanese drama. The ‘emergent’ giants are particularly important at this online Mipcom, as they provide not only a good part of the investments, but also a sensible extra percent of participants from usual physical events.   

Korea, the Country of Honor, provided a session that included its producers, distributors and platforms. Han Sang-Hyuk, from KCC, said: Our slogan is "Korea, Story Connects Us". Where do you think the strength of popular Korean content comes from? The answer lies in stories. Experts from around the world consider Korean content to be unique and fast-paced, with creative ideas and stories'. On the panel "Looking at mega-hits from Korea", there was "The Good Doctor" (KBS) a scripted series about an autistic surgeon with savant syndrome, sold to the US market (first time in History). On the formats side, there was "I Can See Your Voice" (CJE&M), an original talent show which since its debut in 2015, scored many record-breaking numbers.

At the Turkish Showcase, there were introduced very creative titles supported by ICOC and the Ministry of Trade. Among them, there were "The Proyector", drama by O3media and Netflix; "Abandoned Places", factual from Blue Media, exploring famous ghost towns; and "Kral Şakir", Cartoon Network Turkey's first local series. From Sera Film was presented "Stay or Walk Away" a new view of divorce, separation and starting over.

The Chinese showcase was presented in three segments: Drama, formats and documentary. ‘This Mipcom is one of the most prolific content markets regarding production values’, the Chinese delegation said. On fiction, two of the stressed titles were "Glory and dream" a period epic drama from Perfect World which portraits the rise of the Communist Party of China; and "Go A Netflix, Astro, head", from China Huace Film & TV, about three non-relative kids developing a sibling-like bond. The series was aired on over 20 platforms as Netflix, Astro and Line TV.

The Russian showcase was presented by Made in Russia and included key local players as All Media, Art Pictures, Mirsand, Odin Media, Revoluzzia, Sputnik Vostok, and YBW. Also, it featured the Flysound Studio, offering a large scope of sound post-production services. Among the titles, there were "Chick", a woman drama series from Art Pictures that was commissioned by More.tv and NMG Studios, the thriller "Blue Whales" from Mirsand, and the science fiction series "Petropolis" from Revoluzzia, that meets psychology with aliens.

About The Mipcom Buyers Awards for Japanese Drama 2020, the Grand Prix went to “Harassment Games” (TV Tokyo), a special project at the 55th anniversary of the network, while the Honorable Mention prize was for “The Secrets” (Kansai TV). Japan, both in fiction and formats, is calling the attention of the international market due to its ‘out of the box’ programming. The awards are given by leading buyers worldwide, who selected the two winners from 10 Japanese dramas.

Highlights from the keynotes yesterday? Melissa Fleming, Global Communications at United Nations: ‘When Covid-19 hit we were dealing with the biggest public health crisis in our time. But at the same time it was clear that it was a communication crisis. We went through a global pandemic on the Social Media Age, offering a ground for bad actors spreading misinformation and disinformation, creating what WHO called “Infodemic”. And Tyler Perry, writer, actor, producer and director, underlined: ‘TV has been such an escape in the Pandemic. People ask how do I write so much? Because in trauma, I’ve developed this place to go in my brain to escape’.

The Beta Brunch: Jan Mojto, CEO at Beta Film Germany, presented its classical midday event, virtual for the first time. He said: ‘We provide massive titles based on coproduction alliances, mixing broadcasters and OTT giants: Telefonica, CBC, Amazon, Netflix, Viaplay, among others. These are the new times’. Some of these, were: "Tell me who i am", produced by Movistar+ with DLO, Telemundo and Beta; "Atlantic Crossing", produced by Cinenord with Beta for NRK; and "257 Reasons to live", produced by YBW Russia, Start platform and Super Production. The company also promoted a wide slate of children titles, from recent productions in Poland Netherlands and Spain.

The 4th #MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards was hosted by Kiddy Smile and stressed the best of the year's inclusive TV programmes, across 7 categories: “Best scripted of LGBTQ+” for Mae Martin, the star of “Feel Good”; “Best non scripted of LGBTQ+”, for Hiroko Ninomiya, of “Jake and Charice”; “Best scripted of disability”, for Genevieve Barr, “The Accident”; “Best non-scripted of disability” for Penny Wheelwright, for “Canada's Employable Me! Trofeo”; “Best non-scripted of race and ethnicity” for Dave Dehaney (Proper Content) for “The School that Tried to End Racism”; “Best scripted of race and ethnicity” for Darren Dale (Black Fella Films) for “Total Control”; and “Best representation of diversity in kids programming” for Eliza Hull, at “And Then Something Changed”. Diversity TV is one of the fastest growth segments of the content market nowadays, as it can be seen with way to follow.

Nicolás Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara and Alberto Buitron