The American Film Market (AFM) has adopted a new six-day schedule beginning with its 2020 edition set to run Tuesday, November 3–Sunday, November 8, in Santa Monica. The announcement was made by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA). This marks a major moment in the AFM’s 40 years as it pivots to a shorter timeline in recognition of the changing needs of the global film industry.
Shifting to a Tuesday launch and condensing from its traditional eight-day run is emblematic of AFM’s commitment to provide the most efficient and productive business environment. This move also supports a broader marketplace shift that has companies commencing sales early with deals started at film markets often finalized after the event concludes.
“While the film industry has changed drastically since we first launched AFM, markets are essential as this remains a face-to-face business,” said Michael Ryan, IFTA chairperson and partner, GFM Films. “Markets serve as a launching pad for new films and projects and they bring the entire industry together to share marketplace intelligence.”
This timeline empowers AFM to continue offering the most effective experience for all segments of its attendees–sales companies, buyers, producers, and the independent production community at large–while retaining all of its programs, including Screenings, Conferences, and LocationEXPO.
Ryan continued, “IFTA’s priority is to put forth programs and services that support and protect Independents. This new AFM schedule is tailored to best serve the industry by allowing participants who travel from around the world to better maximize their time and costs.”
The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel will continue to serve as the show’s headquarters.
Dates through 2024 will be:
- 2020: November 3–8
- 2021: November 2–7
- 2022: November 1–6
- 2023: October 31-November 5
- 2024: November 5–10
Further details on AFM 2020 will be announced in the coming months.
Local school staple “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” from 1939 hits the big screen nationwide
Most Maine schoolchildren know about the boy lost for more than a week in 1939 after climbing the state's tallest mountain. Now the rest of the U.S. is getting in on the story.
Opening in 650 movie theaters on Friday, "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" tells the harrowing tale of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days on Mount Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness before being rescued. The gripping story of survival commanded the nation's attention in the days before World War II and the boy's grit earned an award from the president.
For decades, Fendler and Joseph B. Egan's book, published the same year as the rescue, has been required reading in many Maine classrooms, like third-grade teacher Kimberly Nielsen's.
"I love that the overarching theme is that Donn never gave up. He just never quits. He goes and goes," said Nielsen, a teacher at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco, who also read the book multiple times with her own kids.
Separated from his hiking group in bad weather atop Mount Katahdin, Fendler used techniques learned as a Boy Scout to survive. He made his way through the woods to the east branch of the Penobscot River, where he was found more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where he started. Bruised and cut, starved and without pants or shoes, he survived nine days by eating berries and lost 15 pounds (7 kilograms).
The boy's peril sparked a massive search and was the focus of newspaper headlines and nightly radio broadcasts. Hundreds of volunteers streamed into the region to help.
The movie builds on the children's book, as told by Fendler to Egan, by drawing upon additional interviews and archival footage to reinforce the importance of family, faith and community during difficult times,... Read More