Canadian companies are anticipating a bustling, meaningful market at next week’s MIPCOM as the annual international coproduction and entertainment content trade show returns to its full scope after several years of a pandemic and major industry changes.

The Canada Pavilion will host a record number of participants with close to 90 Canadian production and distribution companies, making it one of the largest national pavilions at MIPCOM, according to Telefilm Canada. Meanwhile, five Canadian projects are nominated for the MIPCOM Cannes Diversify TV Awards: Sphere Media’s Sort Of; Big Bad Boo Studios’ Lili & Lola; Nish Media’s Pour Toi Flora; Pixcom & Beta Film’s Audrey est revenue; and CBC’s Proud to be Me.

“We expect MIPCOM 2022 to be very busy and high energy,” Solange Attwood, EVP of Blue Ant International, tells Playback Daily. “Our industry has slowly been coming back to events and opening up to travel over the last year and this upcoming market feels like we’re going to be back to full swing.”

Blue Ant International will be at the 38th edition of MIPCOM with an an expanded executive team and its largest offering ever, including more than 1,100 hours of new premium programming across factual, specialist factual, high-impact documentaries, kids and scripted categories. The Blue Ant Media distribution arm’s MIPCOM slate — bolstered by its recent acquisition of Drive Media Rights — includes royal offerings Born to Be King (working title), produced by Touchdown Films, King Charles’ Grand Design and Blue Ant Studios original doc Prince Andrew: Banished, among many other titles.

Attwood says Blue Ant International’s ultimate goal at MIPCOM, which runs Oct. 17 to 20, is finding programming solutions for all of its partners.

“As a global business, this will be an incredibly meaningful market for us to deeply engage and reconnect with many of our partners in a unified time zone,” she says. “We are bullish on the quality and amount of business that will be conducted and leaning into partnerships… We expect pitching, brainstorming sessions and listening to our partners needs to be at a fever pitch given the volume of clients descending on the Croisette. This is also an opportunity for Blue Ant International to show the marketplace that we are growing strategically, expanding across key genres, and acquiring a significant volume of finished content to bring out to the market.”

On Friday (Oct. 14) Corus Studios announced over 800 hours of original content sales ahead of MIPCOM, along with the addition of the Sphere Media-produced new paranormal investigation series Repossessed (8 x 60 minutes) to its catalogue of premium content for international distribution.

Meanwhile, Corus Entertainment-owned prodco and kids content distributor Nelvana’s MIPCOM development slate includes Millie Magnificent (52 x 11 minutes) and the previously announced Monster Jam Gears & Galaxies (52 x 11 minutes) with Feld Entertainment. The team will also be pitching titles from Nelvana’s current production slate, such as its new animated series Super Wish (52 x 11 minutes), and season three of Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe (156 x 11 minutes), both produced through redknot, its joint venture with Discovery Kids; as well as Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory (40 x 11 minutes), produced in partnership with Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment.

Nelvana president Pam Westman says MIPCOM will be the first in-person trade show for many on the Nelvana team and they’re “expecting a very busy market.” After much industry change in recent years, they’re eager to discuss the types of content their partners are seeking, and learn about insights and trends happening in their specific markets and ways in which Nelvana can help support their goals.

“In addition to securing strong international placement for our current slate, we are also looking to build meaningful relationships with coproduction partners in Europe, Australia and Asia, as well as bring on pre-sale partners for a few exciting projects in development, like Monster Jam Gears & Galaxies and Millie Magnificent. The team is also hoping to foster stronger relationships with existing partners, including SVOD/AVOD global and regional partners,” she says.

Bell Media Distribution is bringing a multi-genre slate of original programming to the market, including newly announced unscripted original series East Harbour Heroes, produced by Attraction (Discovery; 10 x 60 minutes), and Alibi Entertainment-produced Staying Inn: Hotel Julie (CTV Life; 10 x 30 minutes). Other titles include CTV’s new comedy Shelved, produced by Counterfeit Pictures (8 x 30 minutes); Crave’s We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) (6 x 30 minutes), produced by 90th Parallel Productions; Discovery originals Mud Mountain Haulers season two, produced by Thunderbird Entertainment-owned Great Pacific Media (GPM) (8 x 60 minutes), and Tyson Media-produced Pets & Pickers (8 x 60 minutes) season one; Bell Media Studios-produced series Evolving Vegan (6 x 60 minutes), along with seasons one and two of Crave’s 1 Queen 5 Queers (16 x 30 minutes); and Discovery’s The Mightiest (6 x 60 minutes).

Toronto-based marblemedia’s international distribution arm Distribution360 (D360) will launch A Cut Above (12 x 60 minutes + format) at MIPCOM, alongside new seasons of series Race Against the Tide (season two, 10 x 30 minutes + format), Best in Miniature and Blown Away (season two, 10 x 30 minutes). D360 announced pre-MIPCOM deals for A Cut Above and others on Thursday (Oct. 13).

Telefilm, in collaboration with the Canada Media Fund, will present a showcase on CBC’s upcoming Indigenous drama series Bones of Crows. And the Society for the Development of Cultural Enterprises will accompany a delegation of about 40 Quebec companies under its umbrella, Quebec Créatif, at MIPCOM.

Quebec-based ComediHa! Distribution’s MIPCOM slate includes dramedy series About Anthony (10 x 30 minutes), produced by ComediHa! in collaboration with Quebecor Content, and dark comedy series Snowball Effect (10 x 30 minutes), produced by ComediHa! in collaboration with Bell Media.

Alexandre Avon, VP of business affairs at ComediHa! Distribution, says they’re looking for broadcasters, producers, and studios for their catalogue, with G20 being their target in terms of territories to sell to. The company is also looking to acquire titles.

He expects this year’s MIPCOM to be “huge” for the industry.

“This MIPCOM will be our first big market since 2020 and for an independent distributor like ComediHa! Distribution it’s very important to attend, meet people in person and have some visibility that the virtual market can’t give us,” says Avon. “It will be a little different after a two-year break, but things are getting back to normal.”

Photo courtesy of MIPCOM. Shooting date: 10/13/2021. ©S. D’Halloy/ Image&Co