AFM signage dominates the Fairmont Century Plaza, a renovated landmark in Century City, for the 2025 event. (Photo by Dakota Oliver)
Back in L.A., AFM 2025 Opens Today at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City
November 11, 2025
LOS ANGELES — The 46th American Film Market opens today (Nov. 11) in Century City, a major entertainment hub located on what was once a backlot for 20th Century Fox.
The six-day event, headquartered at the Fairmont Century Plaza, marks a return to L.A. after last year’s move to Las Vegas. Previously, the market had been held for years in the beachy Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica.
“Los Angeles is our home, and returning here is exactly what our constituents wanted,” said Jean Prewitt, president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), which produces the AFM. “Many of the companies and professionals we serve are based in and around L.A., and being back allows those traveling from around the world to maximize their time by meeting with agencies, streamers, and studios in addition to attending the Market. The Fairmont Century Plaza provides a sophisticated, fully supported environment that meets the needs of all our participants, in an ideal location central to everything the city has to offer.”
Prewitt is retiring after 25 years at the helm of the IFTA, which has weathered innumerable challenges in that time, including the Great Recession, the rise of streaming, a struggling theatrical market, labor walkouts and, of course, the pandemic.
AFM2025, which runs Nov. 11 through Nov. 16, has confirmed participants from more than 80 countries, with over 285 exhibitors from 35 countries, including sales, production and finance companies, international trade organizations and national “umbrella stands” from such countries as China, France, Germany, Italy and Thailand. Organizers on Nov. 10 reported that exhibit space is completely sold out.
AFM screenings will take place just steps away from the Fairmont Century Plaza at the AMC Century City 15, offering a premium theatrical setting for showcasing films and presentations to buyers and other industry professionals.
And the four-day conference program, AFM Sessions, will bring leading voices and thought leaders from around the world to its stages to discuss the trends and technologies shaping the film and television landscape — from development through distribution. Highlights include:
What Audiences Want: Producing Stories that Connect, with Paula Paizes of Pressman Film, Joe Lewis of Amplify Pictures, and JJ Caruth of The Avenue, Highland Film Group’s domestic distribution label;
From Festivals to Audiences: The Enduring Power of Global Arthouse Films, with Kent Sanderson of Bleecker Street, Gabrielle Steward of HanWay Films, Susan Wendt of TrustNordisk, and Yohann Comte of Charades; and
The Streaming Equation: Inside Licensing, Revenue Share, and the Economics of Distribution, with Lisa Romanoff of Vision Films and Shaked Berenson of Entertainment Squad.
The full schedule can be viewed here.
Director Uwe Boll is among the filmmakers attending AFM2025. His new movie Run, starring Amanda Plummer, James Russo, Ulrich Thomsen and Oscar-nominee Barkhad Abdi, will be released next week by Germany’s Kinostar on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime and other platforms in over 75 countries.
“AFM is the most important film market in the world,” Boll said, noting that he and his team at AFM will screen another new film, Citizen Vigilante, with Armie Hammer. “l’m very excited about AFM and looking forward to meeting a lot of our distribution partners of the last 25 years.”
Attendees surveyed by Media Play News welcome the move back to L.A.
MVD Entertainment Group, a leading independent distributor to the home market, sat out last year’s AFM but is back this year.
“When AFM announced it was moving to Las Vegas last year, we discovered that a majority of our partners were skipping the event and we made the decision not to attend,” said Eric D. Wilkinson, MVD’s director of acquisitions and label relations. “When they made the announcement that they were moving the event back to the Los Angeles area, we learned that our partners were planning to attend, and as a result, MVD will also be taking part as well.
“While I certainly appreciated the IFTA’s attempt to try something different in 2024, everyone I have spoken to in preparation for the show is glad they brought it back where it belongs.”
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“I’m excited about the move back to L.A. and hope that the current travel environment doesn’t reduce the attendance too much,” said Mitch Mallon, CEO of digital distributor Stadium Media. “With the current state of our industry, this should be a good opportunity to help navigate the opportunities that might have been overlooked. With all of the consolidation happening, I am looking for new opportunities with companies that we might not have worked with in the past.”
Jeff Hayne, SVP of licensing and productions at home entertainment distributor Alliance Home Entertainment, said “conferences and festivals like AFM are essential for networking, deal-making and discovering new voices. They provide a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work and for distributors like Alliance to identify emerging trends and acquisition opportunities. These events also foster collaboration and innovation across the industry.”
“I’ve been attending AFM for many years and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with buyers, building relationships — and hopefully finding some exciting new film acquisitions,” added JJ Caruth, president of domestic marketing and distribution, at Highland Film Group, a sales, production and film financing company.
“I have been coming to the AFM for many years,” said Paula Paizes, COO and president of production at Pressman Film. “I always love the opportunity to gather with colleagues from around the globe to network and share information to keep my finger on the pulse of the current status of independent film and TV production and distribution.”