Since AFM is coming around again I've updated an old blog post on film market survival with my thoughts following attendance at this year’s Marche du Film. Markets can be a tough slog, especially if you’re there for the full duration. These tips are generally geared up to indie filmmakers without booths or suites of their own at a market, although they have relevance for anyone attending Cannes, AFM, EFM and the rest…originally posted on WordPress and now updated for Medium, check them out here:
https://medium.com/@daniel_lyddon/film-market-survival-7cd286cb5493
Ps. Wear comfy shoes!
All the best for your market success,
Daniel
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I'm scared
Have any advice for filmmakers who can’t afford a pass to AFM? The host hotel is banning everyone without a pass from entering the lobby
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No need to be scared Mariana Trevino - the markets can be a lot of fun too...although I always tend to focus on the work aspect in the day and leave the fun for the evenings!
And Dan MaxXx my only suggestion would be to try and find where the parties/gatherings are for networking beyond the hotel. Restaurants, cafes, clubs - it'll take some detective work on your part, but there's surely an answer somewhere.
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This is very useful information, is very unclear what to expect when you are newbie. thanks!
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Thanks for the link. My husband and I will be attending our second AFM (or rather, he will - I'm just running support) and I agree with your sentiments. We definitely got more meetings scheduled in advance this year, which feels good. Proper budgeting is huge.
As another resource, Alex Ferrari has a great podcast episode in which he interviews Jonathan Wolf of the AFM. Great information and advice from him. He's very clear about what you need to do.
https://indiefilmhustle.com/american-film-market-johnathan-wolf/