Early Bird applications now open: 37°South Market returns to MIFF for 18th edition

Early Bird applications now open: 37°South Market returns to MIFF for 18th edition – Bringing the global screen content financing market to Melbourne, the annual event invites producers to pitch script-stage projects to potential financiers, and creates a meeting place for industry practitioners to build valuable relationships and explore potential partnerships on an international scale.

MIFF 37°South Market assembles local and international film and TV financiers and decision makers as they meet with producers and creatives from across Australia and New Zealand. Over the years, participating producers have included John Barnett (Whale Rider), Nick Batzias (Nitram), Rosemary Blight (The Sapphires), Kristina Ceyton (Talk to Me), Jan Chapman (The Piano), Robert Connolly (Paper Planes, Magic Beach), Marian Macgowan (The Great), Tristram Miall (Strictly Ballroom), Sarah Shaw (Snowtown, Relic) and many more.

Since its inception, 37°South Market has hosted almost 39,000 meetings. In 2024 the event saw over 400 participants – including 27 publishers, 151 producers, 74 writers/directors/creatives, 57 financiers and buyers, and 28 other IP owners – all take part in over 3,200 scheduled meetings.

As the only screen content co-financing market in Australia to take place within the context of a major film festival, 37°South Market facilitates one-on-one meetings, roundtables, and networking events, and features screenings for buyers, modules for publishers and IP owners to pitch screen adaptations to producers, writers pitching screenplays to producers, and panel discussions.

MIFF CEO Damien Hodgkinson said:

“We are excited for the connections and collaborations that will be formed at 37°South Market in 2025. Bringing the international marketplace to Melbourne during MIFF has cemented 37°South as a critical meeting place for Australian and New Zealand productions to secure international and domestic co-financing and for producers to foster valuable connections. The Market also presents an essential platform for our industry to gather and discuss global trends and opportunities. We look forward to a fruitful and productive 37°South Market this August.”

VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said:

“VicScreen is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with MIFF and its valuable industry programs. 37°South is the pre-eminent market for the film industry here in Australia. It is an event where our talented screen creators can pitch to secure global interest and investment in their unique and compelling screen stories, and set them on a trajectory of refined script development, greenlight and production.”

The market itself offers a comprehensive suite of tailored programs to cater to the multifaceted needs of industry practitioners. Producers with pitch-ready, developed and script-stage projects can apply to attend the core event, Bridging the Gap, while those with a completed film seeking world sales or local distribution can enter it into the Breakthru Screenings. The Postscript & Direct program is an opportunity for selected writers, directors and creatives seeking to interest local producers in their work.

Publishers and producers can discuss the latest manuscripts ripe for adaptation at Books at MIFF, whilst Nexus enables intellectual-property rights holders to pitch their creative assets to producers for potential screen adaptations. Link Up fosters conversations and relationships between producers, screen agencies and other Industry service providers, and Team Up enables business connections and creative collaborations between independent producers and larger production partners. Additionally, State of Play sees a line-up of screen executives and producers unpack the pressing screen-funding issues of the day.

Past domestic and international financiers have included the likes of 30West (USA), AGC Studios (USA), Amazon (USA), AMC (USA), AppleTV+ (USA), Charades (EU), Cornerstone (UK), , Federation (EU), Neon (USA), Netflix (USA), Paramount (USA), Plan B (USA), BBC (UK), Match Factory (EU), Memento (EU), mK2 (EU), Upgrade (USA), TF1 Studios (EU), ABCTV (AU), Foxtel (AU), Fremantle (AU/EU), Madman (AU/NZ), Roadshow (AU/NZ), Stan (AU), while participating local publishers have included Allen & Unwin, Hachette, HarperCollins and Penguin/Puffin Random House.

37°South Market Applications are now open via the website with interested parties encouraged to get in early, with successful applicants saving up to 18% on the full-priced registration fee before the Early Bird window closes on 14 April.