(Continued From Cover) 10 in 2024, AFM organizers knew that its postVegas location would be critical to the market’s future. Fast-forward to 2025. Following the Las Vegas debacle, AFM made its triumphant return to California, setting up shop at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Century City, close to Beverly Hills and a number of talent agencies. Small wonder that bookings for the upcoming event, November 10-15, are surpassing those of last year at this time, in late August. Enthusiasm and expectations are definitely riding high. Had anyone designed a “one-size-fits-all” location for AFM, it might well have been the Century City area of Los Angeles. It is large enough to accommodate market attendees and just a short walk from the event’s screening venues, eliminating the 20-minute bus ride that was necessary when the market was held in Santa Monica. There are also eateries galore and even great shopping right by the hotel. No wonder people and companies have been drawn back to AFM in record numbers. Last year’s edition in Century City sold out quickly, with 285 exhibitors from 35 countries in attendance. Old-timers surely remember the original Palais during the Cannes Film Festival, where bars on every level served as meeting venues where connections were made and business was conducted. Last year, those old-timers found the same Palais energy and enthusiasm at and around the lobby bar of the Century Plaza Hotel. Former National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) exec Jackie Brenneman now leads AFM, having taken the reins from Jean Prewitt, who led and helped shepherd the American Film Market for the past 25 years. Brenneman told VideoAge: “I am not here to pretend that the market hasn’t had significant challenges in recent years as new market entrants have set and reset the terms of this business in rapid succession. That said, audiences have been remarkably consistent in their desire for original stories. We have seen it in the box office. We are seeing it across traditional and streaming platforms. We are seeing the growth of Internet-first filmmakers building audiences and legitimacy that translates into global ticket sales. And we are just at the beginning. “AFM is the annual global gathering of the independent sector. As an Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) organization, we are not just a market but also a platform to advocate for the sector. This year, we are doubling down on our optimism for the future by finding more opportunities to bring changemakers to the stage. We have added the AFM House this year to allow creators, cinemas, and technology companies to have conversations about the future of distribution and exhibition. And there is more to come, with highprofile discussions of the business models that will emerge in this new connected era.” “This is what we mean by our theme this year: ‘The New Global Screen Economy.’ We exist not to talk about the way things were. We are here to build for the way things should be. Our stages are just the beginning of conversations that will shape the future.” However, according to Mario Niccoló Messina, founder of Los Angeles-based film production and distribution company Insurgence, “the role of film festivals and markets has been in decline for years. The reality is that many film markets are still built around the legacy of a world that no longer exists — a market that no longer exists, and an industry that is going through a profound identity crisis and still has not figured out what kind of ‘animal’ it will become when it emerges from the ashes. “The positive part is that I believe it will emerge. The real question is: What role will markets like AFM have in that new industry? “A company in Los Angeles can reach an audience in Brazil, Mexico, Germany, or the Philippines without needing an intermediary sitting at a table in a hotel suite. So, the traditional function of a market as a bridge is becoming less relevant. “That does not mean AFM is irrelevant. It means AFM — and every major film market — has to answer a much more difficult question: ‘If we no longer need you simply to connect us, what unique value are you creating by putting all of us in the same place?’ That is the question I will be asking when I attend. “But changing venues does not solve the larger structural problem. AFM becomes a must-attend again if it creates something that cannot be replicated efficiently through Zoom, email, LinkedIn, databases, and AI-driven deal-sourcing. If AFM can put the right 500 people together rather than simply putting 5,000 people in the same building, that is incredibly valuable.” (By Mike Reynolds) Multicom Entertainment Group’s Irv and Darrin Holender are long-time AFM participants. “The real question is: What role will markets like AFM have in the new industry?” — Niccolò Messina VIDEOAGE September 2026 AFM 2026
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