The international film and TV distribution industry is a few weeks way from the American Film Market (it’ll take place November 4-11), and here’s what VideoAge knows so far about this year’s event, which caters to the independent sector and will take place at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, as usual.
Over 8,000 industry executives are expected to come together for deal-making, screenings, seminars, networking and parties. Participants come from over 80 countries and buyers, sellers, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers and press. After a successful MIPCOM market held a few weeks earlier, the hope is that at the AFM, buyers will have some money left in their budgets to acquire some indie movies.
There are 70 new sales companies exhibiting (from 18 countries), in addition to 300 returning sellers.
This year, AFM is seeing an increase in attendees from Asia, with 22 new companies exhibiting from the region, including seven from China.
“Participation from Asia has been increasing for more than 10 years,” said Jonathan Wolf, head of the market. “It’s all about demographics. While the West is aging, a younger middle class is growing in Asia.”
New to this year’s event is the AFM China Conference on Friday afternoon, November 6th, which will feature leaders from all sectors of China’s film industry discussing how producing, marketing and distributing in China differs from the West.
The AFM Conference Series runs from Friday through Tuesday, November 10 and will also include conferences on Finance, Pitching, Production and Distribution.
Also new to the conference program this year: The AFM Festival Conference sponsored by FilmFreeway, on Monday, November 9th, which will focus on how companies can position festivals in a film’s production and marketing strategy.
AFM will also host four themed networking receptions — entitled Carousel Cocktails — at the merry-go-round on the Santa Monica Pier. Events will take place each night from Saturday, November 7 to Tuesday, November 10.
And during the event, attendees can watch over more 700 screenings of approximately 400 films – the majority of them world or U.S. premieres. Titles range from the studios’ big budget blockbusters to lower budget art and genre films.
“AFM serves motion picture entrepreneurs who provide canvases to artists and choice to consumers,” says Wolf. And when it comes to the future: “We will evolve as their needs evolve,” he said.
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