Covid, diversity and the post-pandemic future are among panel and conference topics of this year’s American Film Market, which was moved online because of the corona virus and runs Nov. 9 through 13. A few Latinas stand out in panels discussing diversity, new voices and other subjects.
Usually held in the California coastal city of Santa Monica, the organizers decided earlier in the summer to take AMF to the virtual universe as the Covid crisis had not eased up in the Golden State.
AFM will feature 200 speakers in two “stages” spread among more than 70 conferences, panels, conversations, workshops, podcasts and presentations “covering timely topics and issues most relevant to global filmmakers and the independent industry at large, several sessions will center on how to move production and the business forward in the wake of the pandemic,” organizers say.
The virtual program also features three “buildings,” the Industry Offices, Location Expo and the On-Demand Theatre, which have been live since Nov. 4 for pre-market screenings and project previews.
Program highlights include panels with titles like “Pandemic Production Challenges & Solutions,” “Keep Calm and Carry On Filming,” “Navigating Hollywood During COVID-19: How To Find Success For Your Project During A Global Pandemic,” “What’s Working in the Pre-Sales Marketplace,” “Low Budget Films with Huge Profit Potential,” and “Working with Sales Agents.”
Four Latinas stand out in some panels.
Liliana Espinoza, projects director for the National Association of Independent Producers, will be part of “Casting Global Talent: Who do Latinx Audiences Want to See?” a panel presented in partnership with NALIP. Also participating are Aaron Ashford, director of development and production for Pantelion Films, and Carla Hool, casting director.
Gina Reyes, a TV lit agent with Verve Talent & Literary Agency, and Viviana Zarragoitia, vice president of Three Point Capital, will speak at “Discover New Voices,” along with Adhrucia Apana, founder and producer of Curiosity Entertainment, Janaé Désiré, a media finance executive with Creative Artists Agency, and Sophia Yen, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
Photo: Courtesy of Three Point Capital.
Also, Mexican-Canadian actress and director Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock, The Purge TV series) will be featured in “The Director / Producer Relationship,” a panel that also includes Shaked Berenson, CEO of Entertainment Squad, Travis Stevens, founder and CEO of Snowfort Pictures, and Lisa Whalen, producer of Mandy and Color Out of Space.
Other topics tackled at AFM are global sales, streaming models, video on demand, filming intimacy on the set, successful crowdfunding, and effective casting. There will also be workshops and classes on writing compelling characters, script supervision, and how to budget films.
This year’s AFM is expected to attract more than 300 exhibitors looking for distribution deals and other opportunities, A few are from from Latin America, like Brazil’s O2 Play, Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit Film Commission, Colombia’s Caracol Television, Argentina’s Del Toro Films, and the Dominican Republic Film Commission.
Among those exhibitors will also be Aot Rivera, the director of the feature documentary L.A. Canvas. “The film tells the history of Los Angeles as told through its murals and the people who painted them, most of whom are people of color and from minorities,” says the L.A-based Mexican filmmaker. While the film has not yet wrapped up, Rivera is attending AFM to search for a distributor in advance. “I want to make sure my documentary is watched by the most people possible,” he adds.
For more information, visit the AFM website here.
Check out the trailer for the film L.A. Canvas below.