The 47th edition of the American Film Market (AFM) opens Tuesday, November 10, in Los Angeles, running for six days through November 15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza with official screenings at AMC Century City 15 and events at The Pavilion. Organized by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the convention arrives as independent producers, financiers, and international distributors navigate shifting theatrical economics, studio consolidation, and the integration of artificial intelligence. Leading the market slate are marquee film packages starring Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, James McAvoy, and Daisy Ridley, alongside A24's massive video game adaptation Elden Ring.

Star-Driven Packages Lead the Market Slate

High-profile talent attachments remain the primary currency for international sales agents looking to secure pre-sales and territory distribution. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the most anticipated packages on offer is A Speck in the Sea, which pairs Josh Brolin and Jeremy Renner.

Directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Orlando von Einsiedel (The White Helmets) in his narrative feature debut, the survival drama chronicles the real-life ordeal of a lobster fisherman who falls overboard into the Atlantic Ocean.

Julianne Moore anchors two prominent titles seeking buyer attention this week. She headlines the prestige drama Moonsong: A Life in Seven Verses, directed by Rebecca Miller, which both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter identify as a standout dramatic offering at the market. Moore also stars alongside James McAvoy in Control, positioned among the top star-driven action packages available to international distributors.

McAvoy features in a second high-concept package on the sales floor: an artificial intelligence drama directed by Matt Lipsey and represented by Bankside Films and UTA. Co-starring Juno Temple and Joey King, the story follows a grieving robotics engineer who inputs years of social media posts, videos, and messages into an AI replica of her late younger sister, forcing difficult ethical questions when the initial comfort wears off.

Additional star-led packages circulating among buyers include projects featuring Idris Elba, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson, and Renée Zellweger.

While these star-heavy projects are generating significant trade buzz as the market gets underway, neither Deadline nor The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed completed distribution deals or domestic buyers for A Speck in the Sea, Moonsong: A Life in Seven Verses, or Control as of opening day.

Genre Trends and A24's Blockbuster Gamble

Beyond prestige dramas and mid-budget action thrillers, affordable horror and genre titles continue to dominate sales slates. Following the recent box office breakouts of genre hits like Obsession, Backrooms, and Buddy, international buyers are heavily targeting horror concepts, though some acquisition executives tell Deadline the market has become overly saturated with low-budget pitches trying to replicate those specific successes.

Standout horror packages looking to break through the crowded field include Get Rid of It, a horror thriller starring Daisy Ridley, Sosie Bacon, and Simon Rex.

The film centers on two estranged sisters seeking medical assistance after a one-night stand results in an unexpected pregnancy. Other notable genre entries include NorthFiveSix's Seeker, featuring Cooper Tomlinson, Jessica Rothe, and Mika Abdalla, as well as FilmNation's Violet, starring Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez, and Suki Waterhouse.

At the top end of the budget scale is A24's Elden Ring. According to Deadline, the project carries a reported budget between $180 million and $200 million, making it the largest-budgeted standalone film or television project ever offered at a content market. While the reported budget has not been independently audited and full distribution terms remain undisclosed, Amazon has already acquired a major tranche of international rights, leaving fewer territories available for independent buyers.

Consolidation and Streaming Shifts Reshape Buying

The transactional activity in Century City is unfolding against a complicated macroeconomic backdrop for independent film. According to Screen Daily, sellers are closely monitoring the fallout from major corporate shifts, including Netflix laying off 6% of its workforce amid a declining stock price and the consolidation of Warner Bros.

and Paramount into the single Skydance entity.

The reduction of major studio buyers has raised concerns about shrinking pay-TV and streaming windows in the United States. However, independent theatrical hits—such as Black Bear's medieval comedy Wicker, Laika's animated feature Wildwood, and A24's Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything—have outperformed global box office expectations, giving sales agents leverage as they return to the Fairmont Century Plaza venue, which sits directly adjacent to the offices of major agencies CAA, UTA, and WME.

Calum Gray, co-founder of Architect Film Sales (which is shopping Australian horror sequel Wolf Cre3k), noted to Screen Daily that the streaming pivot toward advertising-based video on demand (AVoD) is altering acquisition behavior. Because AVoD models prioritize viewer retention over initial clicks, platforms like Amazon and Netflix are becoming more selective, favoring distinctive, well-packaged independent films that hold an audience.

Meanwhile, HanWay Films CEO Gabrielle Stewart, whose slate includes Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat's Mare Nostrum and Italian comedy Honeymooners, emphasized the need for streamers to actively buy pay-one theatrical windows to support independent distributors.

International sellers are also expanding their footprint. South Korea's Finecut has returned to AFM after a multi-year absence, bringing director Kyu Bock Youm's animated feature Long Long Night, which follows a rhino and a penguin crossing the wilderness.

AI Production and New Financing Models

To address the structural changes across the industry, IFTA has organized the 2026 conference program around the theme "The New Global Screen Economy." According to Media Play News, the market features more than 45 sessions across three stages, kicking off with the half-day New Global Screen Economy Summit led by IFTA president and CEO Jackie Brenneman and industry analyst Evan Shapiro.

Brenneman noted in pre-market statements that traditional independent film structures are being rebuilt, pointing to online creators-turned-filmmakers—such as Curry Barker (Obsession), Kane Parsons (Backrooms), and Mark Fischbach (Iron Lung)—who have bypassed legacy studio gatekeepers to bring built-in digital audiences directly to movie theaters.

Technological disruption and alternative financing are central to the official American Film Market programming. Located on the nearby CAA campus, the AFM House is hosting a four-day Innovation Hub in partnership with the Marché du Film's Cannes Next initiative, alongside the North American debut of the Cinemas Club for theatrical exhibitors. Key panels examine hybrid live-action and AI production workflows, while financing sessions highlight alternative capital avenues. One official AFM session on fan equity notes that SEC-regulated investment platform Republic Film has raised more than $32 million from over 40,000 individual film fans across its platform history. Additionally, filmmakers are tracking a proposed U.S. federal production tax-credit bill that would offer a 20% transferable credit covering both above-the-line talent and below-the-line crew, though the measure remains a legislative proposal rather than enacted law.

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