AFM Expecting Spike in Buyer Attendance

LOS ANGELES: This edition of the American Film Market (AFM) is on track to welcome more than 120 buying companies making their market debut, among them Hulu, IMAX and Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The AFM, which runs from October 31 to November 7 in Santa Monica, reports that buyers from more than 23 countries will be attending the market for the first time, a record high. Korea alone will have 25 new buyers at the market, followed by China with 13, the U.S. with 11, Japan and Turkey with 6, Russia with 5 and Italy and France with four each. From the U.S., notable buying companies include Cinedigm, Hulu, IMAX Corporation, Tribeca Enterprise and Universal studios Home Entertainment.

More than 750 companies from 70 countries are expected to send 1,500 representatives to the market.

Jonathan Wolf, AFM’s managing director and executive VP of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, commented, "We are seeing a shift in the way sub-distributors acquire film as they steadily rely less on local distributors and more on direct acquisitions. We also expect a significant increase in buyers from China."