EAST Meets WEST AT AMERICAN FILM MARKET STORY BY W. H. BOURNE PHOTOS BY ODIN LINDBLOM
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very year thousands of buyers, sellers and creators of independent film gather in Santa Monica for American Film Market (AFM), the largest international sales market for film in North America. AFM is organized by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) which is the global trade association for the independent motion picture and television industry representing more than 150 member companies from 23 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies and financial institutions engaged in film finance. The market is always a barometer for trends in the independent production, finance and distribution. This year’s AFM saw more than 1,600 buyers representing over 70 countries. This included more than 80 new buying companies with the largest growth coming from South Korea, China, Germany and India.
Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi of Thailand
AFM Conference Session on Finance, Production, & Distribution in China: with both English and Chinese being spoken, interpreter services were offered to attendees for this session.
With the international box office expanding exponentially, particularly in China, sellers were looking for ways to get their product into theaters and homes overseas. It is predicted that within the next two to three years China will have the largest box office in the world. It’s important to note that theatrical is still the only market in China right now with the government still controlling television broadcast; however, this may change in the future as TV sales in China and the demand for content increase. Distribution in China has always been challenging. The government only allows 40 foreign films a year to play in theaters nationwide. In the past, the answer has been Chinese co-productions which circumvented this cap; however, government restrictions have become more stringent regarding the definition of a co-production including percentage of shooting done in China,
cultural themes and elements within the script, and the percentage of above-the-line Chinese cast members. Chinese investment money in U.S. film projects, which had flowed freely throughout the Loews Hotel at past AFMs, was difficult to find this year. Most Chinese investors and producers were looking for co-productions for projects to be filmed in China with predominantly Chinese cast and crew in order to meet the new Chinese government distribution requirements. Chinese producers were looking for help with original scripts that reflected Chinese culture and values and top level editors and VFX crew to oversee services for productions in China. The hallways of AFM were noticeably different this year. Many veteran IFTA companies including former IFTA President Lloyd Kaufman’s company, Troma, were absent from this year’s market. ISSUE SIX
LOUISIANA FILM & VIDEO MAGAZINE
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