Videoage International November 2019

20 AFM Reached 40, But Wasn’t Yet In The Mood To Celebrate T he American Film Market (AFM) just concluded its 40th annual edition, which took place at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, California. The hotel welcomed some 375 exhibitors into its suites for eight days, starting on November 6, 2019. Luckily for all — and especially for Los Angeles residents — the wildfires that were closing in on the north end of Santa Monica prior to the AFM’s start were put out and the area enjoyed sunny, summer-like days. Opening day saw some chaos, not at the Santa Monica Loews Hotel but 16 kilometers south at LAX, the Los Angeles airport. Just prior to the AFM’s opening, LAX authorities decided to move the taxi pick-up zone next to Terminal One, which caused long lines and hardships for those AFM participants arriving at the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, which is at a considerable distance from Terminal One. The AFM’s organizer, the Los Angeles-based Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), touted its large number of conferences (four were about finance; one touched on pitching; two were about productions; two focused on television; and two more centered on distribution) and its two writers’ workshops. More than 150 speakers were present for the 52 conference sessions scheduled. But most exhibitors tended to gloss over all that, focusing instead on the number of buyers that were present at the event. The AFM can usually count on around 1,300 faithful buyers. In terms of additional facts and figures, an estimated 7,000 participants were in attendance and of the 375 exhibiting companies, 77 were new exhibitors from 22 countries. The United States had the biggest exhibitor presence with 160, followed by the U.K. (31), France (26), Russia (19)SouthKorea (17),Germany (12), Italy (8), Romania (8), and Thailand (8). The AFM also hosted more than 400 screenings of 313 films from 114 exhibiting companies. A record number of 80 movies had their world premieres during the market. In addition, among the titles represented at this year’s AFM there were over 25 films submitted for “Best International Film” at the Academy Awards. In addition, this year, AFM organizers officially allowed companies to set up their sales offices outside of the Loews Hotel. The adjacent hotel, Le Merigot, no longer housed sales offices. The market had two main components: Exhi- bitions and conferences. A separate component of the market was the Location Expo, which returned to the American FilmMarket, November 9 – 12, with 50 film commissions, government agencies, production facilities, and services from 21 countries. The Location Expo brand had been part of the AFM for many years, but it went dormant in 1993, only to be brought back in 2016. Located in a dedicated exhibition space within the AFM, the Location Expo was a source of information about locations, production incentives, services, and resources available for projects. Organizations from 11 countries hosted um- brella stands at the AFM for their sales agents, producers, and production facilities. Russia, in particular, created a buzz with their Created in Moscow brand, which was supported by the Moscow Export Center. Prior to the show, JenniferGarnick, VP, Commu- nications, for the AFM, and a close collaborator with Jonathan Wolf, the market’s managing director, said that, “Nothing special [is planned] for the 40th. We’re already working on the 41st! We have really expanded the programming for this year and are bringing new topics to our three stages, including AR/VR, and television, among others.” The AFM was also a must-attend for film commissions from all over the world. Reps from film and TV facilities also showed up in good numbers. Among the busiest such operators, the Creative Romanian Film Makers association touted a Romanian government programoffering a 35 percent cash rebate on qualified expenditure for international productions shooting in Roma- nia. An extra 10 percent can be obtained if the story or the main characters are Romanian. This makes the Romanian film incentive the most generous one in Europe and one of the most generous ones worldwide. The yearly budget allocated to fund the rebate program is 50 million euro (see story on page 4). The AFM was also the target for Italy’s nascent AbruzzoRegion FilmCommission’s newendeavor — the creation of the Abruzzo Film Commission Advisory Board — which was introduced to international filmmakers on Saturday, November 9, with a presentation and cocktail party at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. Board members now include some of the Abruzzo region’s top film and TV talents —many of whom were born and/ or raised in Abruzzo, but came to Hollywood long ago to live and work. The objective of the board is to leverage their talents and influence to promote the Abruzzo region as a location destination for American and Canadian productions (see story on page 6). Finally, according to Jonathan Wolf, the AFM’s managing director, the market was categorized by “lots of sun and lots of sales. The key change,” he pointed out, “was the newCannes FilmFestival format, with 14 companies exhibiting outside the Loews Hotel.” November 2019 American Film Mart Review “Nothing special [is planned] for the 40th. We’re already working on the 41st!” — Jennifer Garnick