American Film Market

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The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year at the beginning of November in Santa Monica, California. The upcoming 2018 AFM will take place October 31 - November 7. More than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, etc. Founded in 1981, the AFM is a marketplace for the film business, where unlike a film festival, production and distribution deals are the main focus of the participants.

The AFM is held in Santa Monica at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel (since 1991) and the Le Merigot Beach Hotel.

The American Film Market uses all 15 movie theatres on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade (and in the surrounding community) and builds nine high definition screening rooms to accommodate 700 screenings of over 400 films (often world or U.S. premieres). The films shown are ones seeking theatrical and television distribution.

The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world's producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs.

Video American Film Market

History

The American Film Market held its first event March 21-31, 1981. In 2015, AFM took place November 4-11 and marked the event's 36th edition.

On December 8, 2011, AFM announced that it would remain in Santa Monica until at least 2017, ending months of speculation that it would move to LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.