As concerns over the fast-spreading Delta variant start to dominate the news again, we see the American Film Market opt to take its entire 2021 edition online-only. We turned to Brandon Blake, an entertainment attorney with decades of experience in the film market industry, for his key insight on this startling development.
Scheduled to run November 1st-5th this year, one day earlier than originally planned, the event will run under the AFM 2021 Online banner. All features attendees have been used to, from screenings, panels, and workshops to conferences and industry offices will stay in place. So will their Networking Pavilion and LocationEXPO features.
This innovation in the event’s history is based purely on fears around the resurgence of the delta variant, and the impact that ever-shifting travel regulations could have on attendance given the ever-shifting parameters of government restriction. International visitors, in particular, are having immense difficulties navigating issues of cross-border travel for business. IFTA wants to take the unpredictability out of the landscape entirely, allowing ‘visitors’ to immerse themselves in the 5 days of industry deal-making and connection without undue health worries and unclear legislation becoming a distraction to their core business.
It may seem a slight let-down from the optimistic nature of the Cannes Film Festival this year, which was able to switch back to fully in-person, but giving delegates back the power to plan around their events definitively will no doubt be well received industry-wide. While some other notable events in the film calendar have opted to go ahead with in-person or hybrid eventing, it’s an understandable switch. With the AFM still several months out, choosing to make firm plans that cannot be upset by a last-minute infection surge seems a solid and sensible strategy. Hopefully, they will find the event well-supported and enjoyable as ever, despite this new development.
