The result of the 30th annual American Film Market (AFM) can be summarized by Starz Media’s executive vp, Worldwide Distribution, Gene George: “If you have a great product it’s a solid business. It’s a good market, all the key buyers are here, if not in full force.” The Fremantle Corporation’s Irv Holender expressed a relatively similar sentiment: “The AFM is tremendously down, but all serious buyers are here.” Cord Douglas who, together with Douglas Price, recently started distribution company D3 Telefilm, was astonished that he was able to find an exhibition room at the Loews Hotel, the AFM headquarters, just a few weeks before the Santa Monica, Californiabased market commenced, commenting, “The market has been good for us. Need to consider that 90 percent of sales success is product.” In its official press release, AFM’s organizer, the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), stressed the large number of films screened at the eight-day market, rather than the number of exhibitors. Between November 4-11, 445 films were presented. The reason for this shift in focus may be that many exhibitors did not return with an office this year, leaving the nearby Le Merigot Hotel with fewer exhibition rooms than last year and lastminute availability at the Loews. Italy was visibly under-represented, with Medusa Film serving as the country’s only exhibitor. The number of Italian buyers was also down to only 16 companies, with the largest contingent coming from Mediaset, Medusa’s parent company. D3 Telefilm’s Cord Douglas said, “Some 15 Italian brokers came to visit us and all wanted to take our trailers to Mediaset. But we can sell to Mediaset directly. We’d need them for selling to RAI, but all refused.” Rumor has it that in Hollywood, film buying for RAI has a gatekeeper, and distribution companies know what they’ve got to do. The reduced Italian presence may be attributed to the massive and exclusive support that Italians have given to the newly launched Roma Cinema Fest, which ended 11 days prior to the AFM. Officially, this AFM hosted a record 80-plus newly accredited acquisition companies, more than doubling the amount of first-time participants in previous years. Of the new acquisition companies, 13 were from South Korea, 10 from the U.S., seven from Russia, five from China, and four from Canada. Additionally, there were multiple buying companies from Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Mexico, Spain and the Czech Republic. On the exhibitors’ side, there were 369 companies with suites (43 fewer than last year) from 44 countries. The AFM is an all-suite market, where hotel suites are converted into sales offices by removing the beds. The few stands are located in the foyers of each floor. Another thing that Irv Holender noticed was the lack of TVQ movies (those lacking big names or “quotient”), which tend to discourage buyers who “are now going back to TV series.” According to Cinevest Interactive’s Arthur Schweitzer, who went back to selling movies after the ReedMidem experience, “The AFM has a new life. Buyers have returned to do deals and sales for new platforms that are emerging, especially for VoD.” Schweitzer’s suite was on the second floor, which would have been bearable “if there had been better signage on how to get there.” Otherwise, he said, “The market has been well organized.” Traditionally, suites below the fourth floor, which is also the lobby level, are not considered as valuable as those above it. In the view of one European buyer, the market was saturated with thrillers and horror films, but Starz Media’s George noted the focus on his company’s Paper Heart, a love story, and The Fremantle Corporation’s Holender highlighted Humble Pie, a new bittersweet comedy from the makers of Napoleon Dynamite. All in all, for the indies crowding the AFM halls, business has not stopped. Their experience is simply different from that of the studios that are amassing huge profits, as recently disclosed by Warner Bros., which announced they are “marching toward [our] most profitable year ever.” The solid business element of the AFM was emphasized by the large number of banks present as both exhibitors and participants. Two bank executives who flew south from Montreal, Canada were seeking to lend money to projects that had received presales from either a distributor or a TV outlet. New Jersey-based Tax Credit, LLC, an exhibitor who advises film producers on tax credits available in 15 U.S. states was also quite prominent. However, as AFM’s financiallyoriented conferences pointed out, there is no easy money anymore. Lenders have become more conservative, and financing from outside the U.S. is now considered “smart money, versus dumb money.” Furthermore, the weak U.S. dollar is making exchange rates a boon for American producers. The market’s busiest day was definitely day three (Friday), when the hotels’ halls and lobbies were filled to capacity. PorchLight’s Chris Lancey, who was at the AFM pre-selling his new TV movie, The Stepson, now in pre-production, advanced the theory that the market would be busy again on day six (Monday), after buyers did their own shopping and took advantage of favorable exchange rates and low prices. A curious tidbit was U.S. President Barack Obama’s message, prominently displayed in the AFM’s Show Directory, which did not make one single reference to the AFM, leading one to believe that it was a standard letter received through the U.S. Commerce Department. The reduced Italian presence was certainly made up for by a large Asian contingent, particularly from Singapore, which is now billed as Asia’s clearinghouse for audiovisual projects. At a reception in Santa Monica, the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore announced the first film to receive the support of the International Film Fund that was launched at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Neon Sign will be the first Singapore-China-Korea film coproduction and is scheduled for release in 2011. Christopher Chia, CEO of MDA commented, “This tripartite collaboration represents the growing synergies among Asian Countries and our abilities to tell Asian stories concerning universal topics such as music and culture in a unique way for an international audience.” Another myth shattered at this AFM was that come November, buyers tend to run out of money after the larger and more influential MIPCOM that ends a few weeks prior to the California event. According to some buyers, if they see a product that fits well in their line-up, they are able to ask for and receive an extra budget from their companies. This is certainly another sign that the global economy is improving. V I D E O • A G E DE C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 14 A F M R e v i ew Serious Buyers With Fewer Dollars Save The Mart’s Day PorchLight’s Chris Lancey Starz Media’s Gene George The Fremantle Corp.’s Irv Holender with producer Shannon Gardner Jose Antonio Espinal, CEO of newly formed SomosTv with Eugenio Lacayo
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