As the American Film Market wrapped at the Fairmont Century Plaza, the prevailing sentiment was unmistakable: relief. After four locations in four years—Santa Monica, virtual, Las Vegas—the independent business finally had a market that functioned, flowed, and felt worthy of the work being done inside it.
This year’s AFM slate is unusually dense, featuring high-profile packages, prestige breakouts, and ambitious commercial plays across genres, drama, and franchise-adjacent concepts. To help readers track the projects driving the most conversation—across sellers, buyers, agencies, and financiers—we’ve compiled a curated list of the 50 packages dominating meetings and hallway chatter.
The global independent film market has entered a period of hard correction. The number of buyers has contracted, advances are smaller, and even strong festival premieres are taking longer to close. What was once an expansive network of territorial sales has narrowed into a handful of dependable regions and a few genres that still command premiums.
After years of declining demand for independent films, producers, sales agencies, and distributors report a significant pre-sales market resurgence heading into Cannes. Download Your Free Cannes Film Festival Cheat Sheet Below with Titles, Directors, Sales Representatives, Deals Signed, Links to IMDbPro, and More.
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