LOS ANGELES, November 12, 2026 — The American Film Market opened its 47th edition this week at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, running through November 15 with screenings at the AMC Century City 15. Producers are using the gathering to push for year-end passage of a federal film incentive backed by the Trump administration.
The Market That Moves the Money
For four decades, the American Film Market has functioned as the primary engine where independent cinema meets global capital. Founded in 1981 by the American Film Marketing Association under producer Andy Vajna, and produced since inception by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, AFM was built differently than Cannes or Berlin. It is a marketplace first, a festival second. The distinction matters: production and distribution deals drive the agenda, not red carpets or jury prizes.
The market’s architecture reflects that purpose. Historically, more than 7,000 attendees from over 70 countries converge for eight days of selling, financing, and acquiring films. The market utilizes 29 theater screens to accommodate 700-plus screenings of over 400 titles seeking theatrical and television distribution. In 2017, AFM launched a video-on-demand screening platform through Shift72, a move that allowed the 2020 and 2021 editions to operate online during the pandemic. The result is a machine that facilitates approximately $1 billion in production and distribution deals annually.
From Santa Monica to Century City
The market’s physical journey mirrors the industry’s volatility. AFM anchored at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel from 1991 through 2023. In 2024, it relocated to the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas — the first time the market operated outside Los Angeles. For 2026, it has settled into the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, a return to the Los Angeles orbit that exhibitors like Level 33 Entertainment president Andreas Olavarria describe as a homecoming after “a few less-than-positive markets in different locations.”
This year’s edition brings 215 exhibiting companies, including Gaumont, AGC Studios, Voltage Pictures, HanWay Films, Lionsgate, Neon, Artist View, and Embankment Films. International sellers are returning after absences. South Korea’s Finecut is back with the animated feature “Long Long Night,” citing AFM’s calendar position as critical for titles launched after Cannes to reach North and Latin American buyers.
Theatrical Returns as the New Engine
The calculus has shifted. Streamers are becoming more selective about acquisitions, shrinking the buyer pool that indie producers relied on for years. In response, theatrical release has reasserted itself as the engine of the independent economy. Gen Z audiences are driving surprise hits that rewrite return-on-investment expectations.
Media analyst Evan Shapiro’s “Yindie” analysis — his term for YouTube-born independent films — presented at the inaugural New Global Screen Economy Summit on November 10, showed Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” made for $750,000, returning 69,711%. Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” returned 3,925%. Both finished ahead of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” at the domestic box office earlier this year. Glitch Productions’ “The Amazing Digital Circus” feature event returned 160%, with theatrical serving as a fandom spark that drove 60% of revenue from merchandise.
“We’re going to see so many more of these stories dominating in the box office,” says Jackie Brenneman, the former NATO executive who became IFTA president and CEO in January 2026. “The strongest, the best-positioned players in this sector are the independents.”
New Leadership, New Infrastructure
Brenneman’s first AFM expands the market’s aperture. The conference program now emphasizes AI, production, and financing over post-theatrical distribution, organized under the theme “The New Global Screen Economy.” More than 45 sessions run across three stages. A new AFM House hosts the second annual Innovation Hub. An AMC Theatres partnership brings A-List subscribers and B-List Movie Club members into private market screenings November 10–13, placing everyday moviegoers alongside buyers to provide audience feedback on films seeking distribution.
The broader stakes are visible in the accreditation data: more than 80 countries represented among registered buyers, with the U.S. leading, followed by Germany, the U.K., South Korea, Spain, France, and a returning China. The market runs through November 15.
Sources
- American Film Market
- AFM 2026: Indie Film Faces a Tougher Market — But Theatrical Breakouts Offer Hope
- American Film Market Opens With Focus on AI, Production and New Business Models – Media Play News
- American Film Market Teams With AMC Theatres to Bring Moviegoers Into Private Market Screenings – Splash Magazines Worldwide
- Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin and Daisy Ridley Lead the Buzziest Titles at AFM
- Evan Shapiro Tells American Film Market That Fandom Built 2026's Highest-Returning Films
Photo: AlviseFalier (CC BY-SA 4.0)
