AFM 2025 took place at Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel

Source: Dan Steinberg

AFM 2025 took place at Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel

Last week’s American Film Market (AFM, November 11-16) drew 6,132 attendees and featured 285 registered companies from 35 countries led by contingents from the United States (124), UK (23), France (20), Italy and Thailand (17 each), and Germany (11).

Attendance figures were up compared to the 5,522 figure from last year’s Las Vegas edition. The overall number of registered companies was one less than in 2024, and the number of US companies increased from 113 last year, while the UK remained the same, and France, Italy and Thailand increased marginally.

AFM reported 500 buying companies from 61 countries – roughly on par with 2024 and up 17% in the US, followed by Germany, South Korea, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Australia, China, Mexico, India, Belgium, Hungary, Ukraine, and the Netherlands. Screen has reported that buyers from the Middle East and parts of Asia largely stayed away.

In total sales and production companies, buyers, financiers, film commissions, and other individuals represented 83 countries. Every attendee whom Screen spoke to said they liked the market’s new hub at Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. Independent Film & Television Alliance president and CEO jean Prewitt, who is stepping down at the end of the year, told Screen during the market that the goal was to extend the relationship with the Fairmont.

Conference speakers from 35 sessions over two days included Susan Wendt from TrustNordisk, Kent Sanderson from Bleecker Street, Gabrielle Stewart from HanWay Films, Allison Hironaka from Caviar, Laura Lewis from Rebelle Media, Weapons producer J.D. Lifshitz, Jeffrey Greenstein from A Higher Standard, and Sam Pressman from Pressman Film.

AFM hosted its inaugural Innovation Hub developed with Marché du Film / Cannes Next, and the market’s first slate of AI-focused sessions featured Lori McCreary from Revelations Entertainment, futurist and former Paramount and Fox executive Ted Schilowitz, and Todd Terrazas of FBRC.ai.

The 12th annual AFM Pitch Conference on November 15 saw producer Cassian Elwes, screenwriting professor and coach Lee Jessup and producer Loni Rodgers judge 20 pre-selected live participants who made the cut from more than 150 submitted video pitches. Australian director Paul Andersen won the competition with his family comedy feature Disconnect, written by Joey Day Hargrove, about a dysfunctional family that must work together when aliens invade their town through their screens.

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