By Cathie Beamish

Last November, I had the incredible privilege of watching three talented and determined young filmmakers see their first film not only get a distribution offer but to actually see their project become the center of a bidding war.

I met this filmmaking team in the lobby of the hotel where I was staying while attending the American Film Market. One member of the team had an especially touching story. After he and his friends called in favors and used their savings to realize their dream, one member of the team learned he had cancer. The team sped up their schedule and completed the film so they could take the completed film to the market and try to sell it. It was a microbudget western filmed in Texas and they didn’t know if it would be accepted. Even though westerns are not an easy sell, several distributors fell in love with it. The words of the gentleman with cancer ring through my brain even today. “No matter what obstacles you run into, always follow your dream.”

If filmmaking is your dream you need to follow your heart but be smart about it. Have a plan and be educated about the business.

The American Film Market offered numerous lecture sessions that encompassed everything from financing a film, how to find your audience, using operational A-I and so much more.

Given that A-I is under the magnifying glass these days, it was definitely a surprise to me that I could actually say something positive about A-I when I was originally so opposed to it. I still oppose the use of A-I to create screenplays, music and more. However, when I saw the difference between operational A-I and creative A-I, I saw the advantages of operational A-I.

A company by the name of Cinelytics has revolutionized the playing field for writers, directors, producers, financiers and more. While they are not creating screenplays or music etc, they are creating the tools that filmmakers can use to present their projects. As a filmmaker you could spend a good six months or more and thousands of dollars drafting the kind of business plan you would need to take to a financier or distributor. With the tools from this company you could have a professional looking business plan in hand in less than one minute. I suggest you go to the Cinelytic web page and check out the five divisions of Cinelytics for yourself. ( If you are a writer, you can upload your script and get the full rundown for only $79.00. It provides you with a log line, synopsis, script summary, main character summaries, coverage, strengths and weaknesses, comps, metadata and actor recommendations) Rights Trade, the last division of Cinelytics is a safe, secure portal that connects buyers and sellers who want to buy or sell content rights.

On the human side of things, one of the strongest messages from all of the panelists was that before you get into your development, know who your audience is for this particular film. If there is no audience the film should not be made. Most people agreed that they did not know how to truly find their audiences so they would just guess with something like, this is a horror movie so it will appeal to teenage boys. AN answer like that won’t really impress too many financiers who are looking at bankable dollars and cents on their investments. Clay Epstein introduced us to a panel that helped explain the importance of knowing your audience and how to find it. One of the panelists even wrote a book on just this topic. ( I don’t have the name of the book at the moment but it will follow.)

Knowing how to and where to go to finance a film is another one of those essential pieces of knowledge that surprisingly, many filmmakers are clueless about. One of the panelists was the founder of Watrfall, Willie Morris. This is a platform where fans help fund and choose the films to be made. But it is more than that. The Watrfall model is a great way to not only know who your audience is but also build a fan base as the movie is progressing.

Many years ago, emerging filmmakers would defer payment to cast and crew until a profit was seen. The system was not transparent and inevitably the cast and crew never saw a cent. Under the Watrfall system, cast and crew members are all partners so when anyone gets paid everyone gets paid. It is well worth your time to check out this website as well.

Before last November, I was not familiar with the concept of Verticals as an entertainment source even though I was becoming addicted to them. While verticals are very entertaining, they can also be a source or revenue that can fund a future film. The sessions on Verticals informed us as to what they are, who watches them, how to structure them and where to go for distribution.

Two very enthusiastic women, spoke to us about their shorts film festival held in Culver City just before the AFM. In many respects, these shorts are a calling card for the film filmmakers want to make. Each short must be under 5 minutes and be a self contained scene. There are competitions in various categories with cash prizes. But even better than that, this festival is attended by
Hollywood heavy hitters who are looking for their next project. If they see a short that catches their attention they can contact the filmmaker about expanding the short into the full movie.

The sessions with their successful industry panelists gave us great insight into this very quickly evolving movie/ t.v./ verticals landscape. In addition to imparting their knowledge to audience members, some of the panelists were financiers and distributors who were looking for projects. While being at the AFM in person, you had access to ask the questions you wanted to as well as pitch your project and/or close your deals.

As I have said many times before, but it is worth repeating, actually being at the AFM you have the opportunity to network with people who might be team members, sales agents, distributors etc for your next film.

When Skydance bought out Paramount Studios, 30 executives from Paramount Studios were let go. All 30 of those executives were said to be in attendance at the market. While I didn’t have time to speak to all 30, I did manage to speak to a couple of the executives individually. I can’t imagine any other scenario where this would happen. The information and the chain link to contacts was invaluable.

I suggest that serious filmmakers go to the American Film Market 2026 website and see for themselves, the value of this well established market. A list of the sessions being offered, a list of exhibitors, sales agents and valuable resources are all available to everyone attending the market or not.

The American Film Market is sponsored and organized by the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) which was formed to help independent filmmakers just like you. The people of IFTA are dedicated to making the pathway from emerging to successful filmmaker easier.

For those who may not be able to attend the AFM in person, in the past,
video replays have been made available for a nominal fee. If you cannot attend
personally it would be well worth it to get hold of the sessions replays. However, to get the full value the AFM should be attended in person.

Stay tuned for more in depth information about the sessions from last year and go to the website to see this November’s sessions line up.

For those attending the AFM in person… I’ll see you in Century City, California November 10th to 15th 2026 and Break a leg!