Raucous, overwhelming and desperately commercial, the American Film Market (AFM) is both the husky and the junkyard dog of screen sales. Tucked into AFM is a genuine respect for pragmatic thought and independent production.
In these weird times we have a chance to attend versions of the huge industry meets that are financially daunting, at least without flights and hotels. The AFM is no exception and the price may well be worth the wince. AU$460 is within range and most of us haven’t travelled to a conference since March last year. This conference is the King Hitter of Commerce.
Market veterans will know a lot of this, so will our next generation leaders who want to test their hunches and fragmentary insights. New knowledge is probably meta, more about the US point of view than their secret wisdom – but their approach and assumptions drives the global business, at least for now.
AFM starts on November 1 and runs to November 5, to somewhat inconvenient hours in the Southern Hemisphere.
Here are a few enticing sessions:
- How to Win at Modern Distribution
- Indie Opportunities During the Streaming Wars
- What Strategies Work Best When Marketing Independent Films for VOD?
- Production Conference: Limited Budget Features with Huge Profit Potential
- Building a Marketing Toolkit
- Global Streaming & The Future of Entertainment in Asia
- Distribution Conference: How Streamers Approach Independent Content
There are several sessions about diversity and Black filmmaking which will also have a distinctive perspective.