The American Film Market is expanding its ambitions in a big way this year. As the industry wrestles with shifting audience habits, financing pressures and rapid tech disruption, the American Film Market is adding a new summit designed to tackle some of the biggest questions facing film and television production today.
Set for November 10–15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, AFM’s 47th edition will open with the inaugural Global Screen Economy Summit, a new program that puts a proposed federal production tax incentive at the center of the conversation. For producers, distributors, studios and creators, the move signals that the American Film Market is evolving beyond dealmaking into a broader ideas-and-policy forum for the screen business.
American Film Market expands with a new global summit
The headline addition to this year’s event is the New Global Screen Economy Summit, which debuts on opening day and sets a more policy-driven tone for AFM 2026. While the American Film Market has long been known as a key marketplace for independent film and international distribution, this year’s programming reflects an industry in transition.
The summit will examine:
- A proposed federal production tax incentive for U.S. film and TV production
- The rise of the creator economy
- New sources of intellectual property
- The changing structure of the studio system
- The future of theatrical exhibition and moviegoing
This wider lens matters. Today’s entertainment business is no longer defined only by traditional studios and distributors. Streamers, digital creators, tech platforms and data-driven audience strategies are all reshaping how projects are financed, packaged, marketed and released. By putting these topics under one roof, the American Film Market is positioning itself as a meeting point for both commerce and strategy.
Why the federal production incentive is drawing attention
The opening session, titled The New Federal Production Incentive: A Turning Point for U.S. Production, could become one of the most closely watched conversations of the week. The panel features SP Media Group chairman and CEO Steven Paul, company president Scott Karol and Motion Picture Association SVP of Federal Affairs Josh Rogin.
The topic is especially timely as U.S. production faces increasing competition from countries and regions offering attractive tax credits and rebates. For years, states have used local incentives to lure projects, but calls for a federal-level program have grown louder as producers compare domestic costs with international alternatives.
If adopted, a federal production tax incentive could potentially:
- Make the U.S. more competitive with global production hubs
- Encourage more film and television shoots to stay domestic
- Support below-the-line jobs and regional production economies
- Help independent producers structure financing more effectively
That is why the American Film Market spotlighting the issue is significant. It elevates the conversation from niche policy debate to a mainstream business concern for the global entertainment sector.
What to expect from AFM 2026
Beyond the summit, the American Film Market has unveiled an expanded lineup of more than 45 sessions across its six-day run. The event will stretch across the Fairmont Century Plaza, AMC Century City 15 and The Pavilion, maintaining its status as one of the most important annual gatherings for independent film and screen industry executives.
Speakers and participating companies include major voices from:
- UTA
- CAA
- MPA
- Artists Equity
- Alamo Drafthouse
- Trafalgar Releasing
- Cineverse
- Crunchyroll
- Gersh
- Lionsgate
- Range Select
- Rentrak
- Project X
- Wrapbook
Notable speakers include Stuart Ford of AGC, media analyst Evan Shapiro, producer Amy Baer, filmmaker Wesley Wang and producer Tyler Chou. That mix suggests AFM is balancing traditional entertainment leadership with newer voices who understand audience behavior, creator-led business models and digital-era production economics.
AFM House and the innovation push
Another major addition is AFM House, a four-day space for conversations, presentations and live demos centered on emerging technology. It will also host the expanded AFM Innovation Hub in partnership with Marché du Film’s Cannes Next.
This area appears designed to capture the practical side of innovation, not just the buzzwords. As AI tools, virtual production workflows, alternative financing platforms and new audience analytics tools become more common, events like AFM House can help executives separate durable trends from short-lived hype.
AFM House will also host the North American debut of the Cinemas Club, which focuses on the future of theatrical exhibition. That is an important addition at a moment when exhibitors and distributors are still rethinking release windows, event cinema, premium formats and how to bring audiences back to theaters consistently.
Why the American Film Market matters in today’s TV and video landscape
For the TV and video category, the American Film Market remains highly relevant because the boundaries between film, episodic content, streaming originals and creator-driven video are now increasingly blurred. Rights deals, co-productions, packaging strategies and audience monetization models are crossing formats more than ever.
Jackie Brenneman, president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, framed this year’s event around transformation and opportunity. That message fits the current moment. The industry is being reimagined not only in how stories are made, but also in how they are discovered and delivered to audiences.
In practical terms, the American Film Market is no longer just a destination for sales agents and indie producers. It is becoming a forum where policy, technology, distribution and content strategy intersect. For anyone tracking where global screen business is headed, that makes AFM 2026 particularly noteworthy.
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Conclusion
The American Film Market is entering a new phase, one that reflects the realities of a rapidly changing global screen economy. By launching a summit focused on policy, creators, IP and theatrical innovation, AFM is signaling that the future of production will be shaped as much by structural change as by creative ambition. For producers, distributors, investors and media executives, this year’s American Film Market may offer an early look at how the next era of film and television business will be built.
