First details of the inaugural American Film Convention (AFC) scheduled for October in Los Angeles have emerged, with participants including executives from BondIt Capital, Abramorama, and Indie Rights
Scheduled to run October 15-17 at Magic Box in Downtown Los Angeles several weeks before the relocated American Film Market in Las Vegas, the convention will stage film and book auctions, online and in-person screenings, and sessions on AI, the future of exhibition, and marketing strategies.
Among confirmed speakers and panelists are Matthew Helderman of BondIt Capital, Abramorama president and head of international distribution Evan Saxon, Indie Rights president Linda Nelson, and Paradigm Consulting president Peter Broderick.
Elaine Sturgess, founder of film and television adaptation start-up BooksOffice, will host a pitch session and said the convention offered a “huge opportunity” for authors.
“The AFC is all about breaking new boundaries and championing innovation—and that makes it the ideal platform for us,” said Sturgess. “The live auction of our top ten selected stories for adaptation, selected by our panel of distinguished judges, will be a world first.”
Former OJ Simpson business manager Norman Pardo’s The OJ Simpson Tapes has been confirmed as the first project to take part in the film auction, in which filmmakers can shop projects for distribution and exhibition. The auction will invite bids on 70 hours of rare footage of the disgraced former American Football star and actor who died in April. The lot will include three completed features from Pardo: OJ: What A Life, Wendy Williams: Keeping It Real and OJ: Off The Chain.
Mitesh Patel, founder and CEO of AFC, has appointed several senior staff members in programming and marketing. Producer Heather Hale oversees AFC’s Speed Pitching, Money Market and the Quick Connect networking programmes; and development executive Jenean Atwood Baynes will supervise the Actor’s Nest, in which actors and their representatives present themselves and their clients to delegates any way they choose.
Hollyshorts programmer Sarah Avilés has been brought on to serve as AFC’s film programmer to curate screening room and on-site selections.
Patel said, “We established the AFC to bolster the industry and explore untapped opportunities within the film sector, introducing innovative approaches to conducting film business. Our aim is not to compete with existing entities but to complement and enhance the broader industry ecosystem.”
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