American Film Market 2026 Opens in Century City With a New Question: Who Pays?

The American Film Market 2026 opened on Tuesday 10 November at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and it is not a film festival. There are no premieres chasing reviews here. The 47th edition, running 10–15 November with screenings at AMC Century City 15, exists so that producers and distributors can license films — territory by territory, often before the film is finished (Reel 360; Vitoniou).

Six days. Hundreds of companies. One question running under every meeting, which Reel 360 states outright: who’s going to pay for the movie?

American Film Market 2026 in Century City, by the numbers

The market is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), and this year marks the debut of Jackie Brenneman as IFTA’s president and CEO, succeeding Jean Prewitt, who stepped down in January 2026 after 25 years in the role (VideoAge International). Some 272 distribution companies are registered as exhibitors, led by the United States with 135, then the United Kingdom with 25, Italy with 16 and France with 12 (VideoAge International). Last year’s edition drew an estimated 6,132 participants and 500 buying companies from 61 countries (VideoAge International).

The mechanics are unglamorous and decisive. Sales companies take offices and represent films; accredited buyers — distributors who have licensed at least three films or programmes from IFTA members in the last three years — come to license rights for their territory: a country, a set of media, a period of years (Vitoniou). A pre-sale goes further: a distributor commits to a film that does not exist yet, on the strength of the script, the director, the cast and the sales company’s track record, and producers use those commitments to finance production (Vitoniou). Market screenings run 10–13 November so buyers can see what they might buy (Vitoniou).

The New Global Screen Economy is the theme — and the anxiety

For the first time, AFM has given itself an overarching theme: “The New Global Screen Economy,” examined at an inaugural summit on opening day (Reel 360). The theme is a label for a squeeze everyone in the building can feel. International presales, once a cornerstone of independent financing, have become harder for projects without established stars, recognisable intellectual property or strong genre appeal (Reel 360).

Buyers are asking practical questions now. What will it cost? Who is the audience? Which territories can support a theatrical release, and can the project earn across theatrical, streaming and ancillary markets at the asking price (Reel 360)? The programme reflects the shift: 45 conference sessions this year, up from 35 in 2025, including “The New Studio System” on 10 November and “What Makes Financiers, Buyers & Talent Say Yes?” on 12 November (VideoAge International). A new venue, AFM House, opens across from the Fairmont on 11 November, hosting an Innovation Hub and the Cinemas Club for theatre owners and programmers (Vitoniou).

The biggest package in the building shows the direction of travel. A24 is bringing Elden Ring, Alex Garland’s adaptation of the video game, with a reported budget between $175 million and $200 million — positioned as one of the largest standalone projects ever offered to international buyers at a film market (Reel 360). Genre and names still travel: a 1408 sequel with Elijah Wood and Natalia Dyer, body horror Feed with Rosamund Pike, and action thriller 12 Bullets with Jeremy Renner are all in the conversation (Reel 360).

Romania, Country of Focus at AFM, makes its pitch

AFM’s first-ever Country of Focus is Romania, in partnership with Creative Romanian Filmmakers (American Film Market). The delegation is led on screen by Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, whose Fjord is Romania’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, and four Romanian films screen at AMC Century City 15, including Comatogen and Gone Guy (American Film Market).

The pitch is practical: acclaimed talent, experienced crews, diverse locations, competitive costs and a working cash rebate (American Film Market). A panel on 14 November, “Beyond the New Wave: Romania as Your Next Production Partner,” puts that case to buyers and producers directly (American Film Market).

Competition is part of the backdrop. Toronto launched its first official market in September 2026, giving buyers another North American stop two months earlier, and international companies must now weigh the cost of attending both (Reel 360).

Analysis: AFM’s honesty is its charm. Festivals pretend the art comes first and the money follows; Century City this week runs the sentence the other way round, and the films that reach cinemas next year are being decided by it. Watch the gap between the $200 million package at the top of the market and the presale-dependent projects below it. If mid-budget films leave Los Angeles without territories sold, the “new global screen economy” will have told us exactly what it values.

Photo: Mike-Hope, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources

1. https://reel360.com/article/afm-2026-takes-over-century-city-as-hollywood-confronts-a-changing-film-business/
2. https://americanfilmmarket.com/romania-named-first-ever-country-of-focus-at-the-2026-american-film-market/
3. https://www.vitoniou.com/blog/what-happens-at-the-american-film-market
4. https://www.videoageinternational.net/2026/11/05/watercooler/the-afm-in-facts-and-figures/