AFM to open with summit on proposed federal production incentive
The American Film Market will open this year with a full-day summit on a proposed federal production tax incentive.
The inaugural New Global Screen Economy Summit takes place on 10 November, the opening day of the market, according to Deadline. The incentive — a reduction in production costs delivered through the tax system to attract shoots — will be the first item on the agenda.
AFM runs 10 to 15 November at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, according to Deadline. The 47th edition spans the Fairmont, the AMC Century City 15 and The Pavilion. The market is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance. It is an annual buying market where producers and sales agents sell finished films and packaged projects to distributors, streamers and broadcasters.
The 10 November kickoff session is titled The New Federal Production Incentive: A Turning Point for U.S. Production. It features SP Media Group chairman and chief executive Steven Paul, SP Media Group president Scott Karol, and Josh Rogin, senior vice president of federal affairs at the Motion Picture Association. The MPA is the Washington body that represents the major studios in policy debates.
The summit is part of an expanded programme of more than 45 sessions. Other threads include the creator economy, new sources of intellectual property and the changing shape of the studio system. That system covers how films are financed, made and released, from cinema to streaming.
A new venue, AFM House, will run for four days with conversations, presentations and live demonstrations of emerging technology. The expanded AFM Innovation Hub, presented in partnership with Marche du Film's Cannes Next, will be housed at AFM House. AFM House will also host the North American debut of the Cinemas Club, a forum focused on the future of cinema exhibition and moviegoing.
LocationEXPO, the section that connects film-makers with film commissions, production service companies and global partners, continues as part of the market offering, according to the market's website. The Innovation Hub spotlight on artificial intelligence and technology companies and platforms also continues.
What makes this stand out is the placement. AFM is a deal floor first. Putting policy and technology on the opening day puts those talks where buyers and sellers cannot miss them.
