The Basque audiovisual sector takes a global leap in the MipTV market

The Etxepare Basque Institute wants to bring Basque culture to the rest of the world, promoting artistic creation from different disciplines, the audiovisual among them. Therefore, it is essential to take part in forums and meetings of international relevance, such as the Miptv  audiovisual market organized in the French city of Cannes from 9 to 12 April.

The Etxepare Basque Institute wants to bring Basque culture to the rest of the world, promoting artistic creation from different disciplines, the audiovisual among them. Therefore, it is essential to take part in forums and meetings of international relevance, such as the Miptv  audiovisual market organized in the French city of Cannes from 9 to 12 April.

More than 11,000 professionals from nearly 100 countries met in Cannes, including representatives from Etxepare, Zineuskadi and EIKEN (Basque Audiovisual and Digital Content Cluster), who were there to accompany Basque companies under the Basque Audiovisual brand. The work there has already begun to bear fruit.

Jointly organized by MipTV and the new Canneseries International TV Series Festival, the industry event “In Development” featured pitching sessions organized for projects in the production phase. Among hundreds of proposals, a few projects were selected to show to buyers, producers and distributors around the world. One of the selected projects, which was presented by the producer Edu Carneros, was Strange Fishing Sundays by the Basque production company Laniakea.

In addition, the Yoko cartoons, a joint production between Somuga and Dibulitoon and Russia’s Wizart TVSeries, have been sold to the Chinese production company Jetsen Huatsi TV for online distribution. The Yoko stories are about three children who meet in a park to play. "It contains elements that pre-school kids really love, including magic and adventure. It also highlights the value of play and delivers positive messages," said Dominic Gardiner of Jetpack Distribution, which brokered the deal.

The production company Pausoka Entertainment also took advantage of their time at Cannes to show their work, including the projects Aitaren etxea or Go!azen. Two major distributors have shown interest in developing the format The Best History, and have chosen the Sleeping with the Enemy format for the Input conference in New York. Pausoka has also sold the rights to an Argentine producer to broadcast Do You Know Me?