What actually happens at the American Film Market

The American Film Market is where the rights to independent films are licensed. AFM describes itself as "a marketplace where producers and distributors license films", and says plainly that it is not a festival. Sales companies take offices, buyers from around the world come to meet them, and the rights to independent films change hands, country by country and often long before the film is finished.

This year's market, AFM's 47th, runs November 10 to 15, 2026 in Los Angeles. It's headquartered at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, with screenings across the street at AMC Century City 15, and it's produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA).

As of 7 November 2026. Everything below about this year's market comes from AFM's own pages, checked on that date. Where we explain how film sales work in general, we say so, and terms vary from deal to deal.

Who's in the room

AFM describes the crowd as "producers, sales agents, buyers, financiers, writers, directors, agents, lawyers" and executives, from more than 85 countries. In practice, the business turns on two groups.

Sales companies represent films to buyers. They are among the companies AFM calls exhibitors, which its 2026 announcement describes as "finance, production, sales, and distribution companies". At AFM, exhibitors work from offices and meeting tables. In general, a sales company takes on a film or project and licenses its rights to distributors around the world, territory by territory; how it prices and structures those deals varies.

Buyers are distributors who license films for their territory. AFM accredits them. Its definition of a buyer is a company that has licensed or sub-distributed "at least three motion pictures or television programs during the last three years" from IFTA members. Buyer badges get access to the exhibitor floors and a buyers' lounge that attendees can't enter.

Everyone else attends on an attendee badge: producers with projects, writers, directors, lawyers, financiers. AFM's badge page says these are for "industry professionals who are not with a Sales company or Accredited Buying company". AFM also runs LocationEXPO, which it says connects filmmakers with film commissions and production service organizations.

What actually changes hands

This section explains how film sales generally work. It isn't specific to any deal at AFM, and terms vary widely.

What's licensed is usually a set of rights: a territory (Germany, say, or Latin America), a set of media (theatrical, TV, streaming) and a period of years. One film can be licensed to dozens of distributors, one territory at a time. That's why a market brings buyers from many countries into one building for a week.

AFM says deals there cover "projects at every stage, from development through completed films". A deal for a film that hasn't been made yet is a pre-sale. A distributor commits to license a film for its territory before it exists, usually on the strength of the script, the director, the cast and the sales company's track record. Producers can use those commitments, together with other money, to finance production.

Worked example · one film, many territories (hypothetical)

A sample independent thriller, invented for this guide, has a director and two cast members attached and a sales company representing it. Over a market week, the sales company meets buyers from different countries. A distributor in one European territory licenses theatrical and TV rights there for a fixed number of years, leaving streaming rights for a separate deal. A buyer from another region takes all media for its territory, for a different term. Other buyers ask to see the finished film first.

The film and the deals are invented, and the order isn't a rule. The point is the shape: one film, licensed piece by piece, with each deal covering a territory, a set of media and a period of time.

AFM says "hundreds of millions of dollars in global distribution and financing deals are generated each year". That's AFM's own description. It doesn't publish a breakdown, so we can't say how much of that money reaches any one film.

What the screenings are for

Market screenings exist so buyers can see films they might license. In 2026, AFM screenings run Tuesday, November 10 to Friday, November 13 at AMC Century City 15, according to AFM's screenings page. Exhibitors, attendees with some badge types, and national and regional producer organizations can book them to show films, promotional reels or presentations "to buyers, partners, and invited guests".

New this year, AFM says, screenings can be turned into events, with concessions, hospitality and red-carpet options. The audience is still the one AFM names: buyers, partners and invited guests.

What's new in 2026

• A theme. AFM's first, "The New Global Screen Economy", announced on May 6, 2026. AFM says it will run through the market's programming.
• The Summit. An opening-day event on November 10 at the Fairmont, from 9am. Keynotes from IFTA president and CEO Jackie Brenneman and Evan Shapiro, founder and CEO of ESHAP. A Summit ticket is $395, or $175 added to an AFM badge.
• The AFM House, on the CAA campus across from the Fairmont, Wednesday November 11 to Saturday November 14. It hosts the Innovation Hub for AI and technology companies, and the Cinemas Club, a program for theater owners and programmers that began at the Marché du Film in Cannes. Its listed topics include "exhibitors becoming distributors".
• The AFM Sessions. A conference program of "30+ panels", per AFM's About page.

If you're thinking of going

AFM's 2026 badge prices, from its attendee badge page:

Online registration has closed. AFM says on-site registration opens at the Fairmont on Monday, November 9 at 9am Pacific.

AFM's own guide for producers, "How to Work the AFM", is blunt about preparation:

• Research the companies in advance, using The Film Catalogue and Cinando. AFM's badge grid includes a one-year Cinando subscription with every attendee badge except the one-day badge.
• Build a target list. AFM suggests "30 – 40 companies" for most projects, warning that fewer than 10 means "you're being too picky".

AFM's FAQ adds that for pitching a project or script, Wednesday through Saturday are "the most effective days for exploratory conversations with distributors and sales companies".

Where this fits

A market is the stage after the making. The director's prep workflow is about getting a film shot well. AFM is about getting it licensed and seen. And the deals made there help decide which independent films reach cinemas and screens, and where.

If AFM's dates, prices or program change, we'll update this page and say when.