The American Film Market is redrawing its map for 2026, betting that the future of independent film business lies in a far more fractured, global marketplace.

Organizers say the next edition will center on what they call a “new global screen economy,” a phrase that captures how buyers, sellers, and exhibitors now strike deals across a splintered content landscape. The shift signals a broader recognition that independent film no longer moves through one clear pipeline. Instead, companies now navigate a patchwork of platforms, territories, and business models that keep changing under their feet.

“We can’t move forward by looking backwards,” IFTA head Jackie Brenneman says as the market retools for a screen business that no longer runs on old assumptions.

That message lands at a moment when the indie sector faces pressure from every side. Traditional distribution paths have weakened, streaming economics have matured, and international partnerships have taken on greater weight. Reports indicate the market wants to meet that reality head-on by framing AFM not just as a sales event, but as a hub for dealmaking across multiple kinds of screen content and exhibition outlets.

Key Facts

  • The 2026 American Film Market will focus on a “new global screen economy.”
  • IFTA leadership says the industry cannot rely on outdated business assumptions.
  • The move reflects a content market spread across multiple platforms and territories.
  • AFM aims to serve exhibitors and dealmakers operating in a more fragmented ecosystem.

The refocus also reveals how sharply the business has changed for companies that depend on independent production and sales. A market once built around familiar windows and straightforward rights packages now demands flexibility, sharper regional strategy, and a wider view of where audiences watch. Sources suggest AFM sees an opening in helping the industry connect those moving pieces rather than pretending the old system will return intact.

What comes next matters well beyond one annual gathering. If AFM can position itself around the real mechanics of global content financing, sales, and exhibition, it could help shape how indie companies adapt in the years ahead. If not, the gap between the market’s legacy role and the industry’s new reality will only widen.