18 AFM’s Winning Chances in Vegas. Mart’s Gamble is Not a Cliché A new day, a traditional event, a new venue, and a record number of early sign-ups — what could be better? With rumbling in recent years about the American Film Market’s (AFM) future, moving it out of the Los Angeles area to, of all places, Las Vegas, might have seemed like a final nail in the coffin for doubters. But if advance bookings are anything to go by, this upcoming edition of AFM, set for November 5-10, 2024, at the Palms Casino, looks as if it will be the best-attended event in recent years, according to the organization. In fact, “We have record attendance this year, so I am very optimistic about the future,” said AFM board member Lise Romanoff of Vision Films. On a cynical note, it’s little wonder that this year’s bookings are up for AFM. Many people would love to go to Vegas and now they’re getting the opportunity to have the company account pay for it. However, for Sam Eigen, CEO of Shoreline Entertainment, this edition of the AFM will be a breeze — no flights to book, or high hotel costs to worry about, and only a small amount of gas to put in the tank for his drive down the road — as the company is headquartered in Las Vegas. As for the event itself, Eigen sees AFM mainly affording him “face-time and the opportunity to meet with other companies about acquiring content catalogs,” amongst other things. On the surface, a rush to sign up — around 200 companies and 900 individuals are already tapped to attend as of mid-September — seems like great news. That said, many people approached for this story (who did not want to be named) suggested that it was a natural reaction. Las Vegas is a renowned destination and there’s plenty of hotel space, along with more than enough places to eat and be entertained, so it fills in many of the slots (pun intended). Whether Las Vegas and the Palms Hotel will truly be a success has to rest on respective post-mortems. Were the right people (meaning buyers and sellers) met with, and what kind of deals were secured? Only once the results have been tallied afterwards will all of that provide the full picture. Many people approached for this story felt strongly that AFM was out of touch and not doing the right thing (and had not been for some time) with the market. There are several other international markets before the end of this year and beginning of the next, and it’s repetitive and costly when companies wish to attend all — in some cases just to have a face-to-face with a couple of companies they didn’t connect with earlier. This year AFM and MIPCOM are only two weeks apart. Unless AFM takes a different path and listens to its constituencies — and gets honest answers — the collective feeling from these individuals (both buyers and sellers) was that AFM would not be around for much longer. The move last year to a different hotel in Santa Monica, California, AFM’s traditional city, did not instill confidence, and this year’s move to Las Vegas, has not necessarily warmed the heart — at least from a pure business perspective — for most companies. Many attendees felt that Santa Monica and its environs, along with the airfares and other associated costs, had become too expensive and too physically scattered among the market’s various venues. Moving to Las Vegas will not be inexpensive — further to fly for most international attendees, more expensive to travel around town, slightly higher prices to rent a space in the exhibition area, and while there are screening rooms aplenty on site and numerous stores and dining venues, the city is rather gloomy and attendees will end up hardly seeing daylight for the market’s duration. Indeed, some participants may spend nearly a week without going outdoors. When asked for her opinion on the Las Vegas move, Vision Films’ Lise Romanoff said: “It’s exciting. And I’m thrilled we will all be together at the Palms, including (for) screenings! Santa Monica was getting too fragmented, with everyone all over the place and as an AFM board member I can assure you that we tried every option and no hotel could accommodate us!” As for the fact that AFM and MIPCOM are only two weeks apart, she admitted that “it’s not good being so close, but it is a different crowd so we attend both!” On the business side, Romanoff and her team will be taking “two new action films, two new Christmas films, some family films, and some rom coms.” Incidentally, those are also the content genres she and her team will be looking to buy. Long-time AFM participant Chevonne O’Shaughnessy of ACI (American Cinema Inspires) is still unsure about her attendance. And even though she’s made the down payment for AFM, she’s looking more toward MIPCOM. In addition to the usual offices (read hotel rooms) of differing dimensions, buyers and sellers have areas with meeting tables and a few booths at which to discuss deals at the Palms. The AFM sessions for this edition include 11 in total, including two on pitches — “Unlocking Global Distribution: What Buyers Really Want in Film & TV,” and “Finance 1: Cracking the Formula: Independent Film Financing in Today’s Financial Landscape.” The Location Expo side of the event seems to be growing, and Italy is one of the “National Umbrellas,” bringing a number of entities from that country (12), while China is another with its China Pavilion collective. In no particular order, some confirmed exhibiting companies are: German Film Services & Marketing, Audiovisual From Spain, Polish Film Institute, City of Palmdale, ThompsonNicola Film Commission (Canada), Film Development Council of the Philippines, Georgia Film Office, Department of International Trade Promotion (Thailand), Film AlUla, German Film Services + Marketing, Baja Film Commission, Italian Trade Agency, Southern Kentucky Film Commission, Nevada Film Office, Thailand Film Office, Studio Greece, Department of Tourism, Invest Barbados. Polish Film Institute, West Virginia Film Office, International Film Trust, Reading (Pennsylvania) Film Office, Tokyo Film Commission, and even a financial institution — the Western Alliance Bank. (By Mike Reynolds) Vision Films’ Lise Romanoff VIDEOAGE October 2024 Film Markets
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