The American Film Market, or AFM, has long been the venue where independent films can find homes with international distributors, where packages can come together, and where producers and sales agents can mingle and take meetings. It’s an essential event on the calendar for many in the indie film world. Callo, meanwhile, is an operating system and platform that aims to bring that experience online, allowing independent creators to match up with producers, other collaborators, or studios.
It’s only fitting, then, that this year’s AFM will combine real-world interaction with the online connections to rethink how people network, connect, and collaborate at the market. It’s just the latest sign of how the market seems to be evolving under new IFTA president Jackie Brenneman.
IndieWire can share exclusively that Callo is the official collaboration platform for AFM 2026, which means that AFM participants will be given access to the Callo platform and can better find those people, projects, and opportunities they want to discover on the ground in Los Angeles before, after, or during the market. Badge holders can request access to Callo, and those creators who join can use it to find collaborators, build and package projects, review teams and materials, share film slates with potential partners. Likewise, it’s a useful tool for buyers, financiers, sales agents, and other executives to scope out new projects and talent.
AFM will also give Platinum badge holders special
AFM will also give Platinum badge holders special access to the service, including Callo’s intelligent matching and human curation. They’ll be invited to one-on-one meetings at a dedicated lounge at the Fairmont Century Plaza, and other participants will be hand-picked to receive a one-year membership to Callo Slate, a premium offering that offers other development, project management, and curation support year-round.
Additionally, Brenneman will also participate on a panel discussion along with Callo’s founder and CEO Fassa Sar, as well as Monica Khan, Founder & CEO of Creator Revolution and Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company. The panel is titled “More Than a Trend: The Rise of Creator Filmmakers,” and it will touch on how the likes of Curry Barker, Kane Parsons, and Markiplier who have clear, established audiences online have managed to bring their work to Hollywood and the movie theater, something that has already sparked a gold rush of people trying to find the next online IP or talent discovery. The panel takes place on the AFM Main Stage on Wednesday, November 11 at 4:30 pm PT.
“It’s clear the marketplace is changing rapidly. The people entering film and television today don’t necessarily look like the people who built the industry before them. We’re seeing creators with audiences enter for the first time, alongside a new generation of producers, financiers, and creative entrepreneurs who looking to be real players in our industry,” Sar said in a statement. “Callo serves this new generation, giving them the infrastructure to develop projects, build teams, operate slates, and bring projects to market. That’s why partnering with AFM felt obvious. AFM has always been where the independent marketplace comes together to buy and sell. We see an opportunity to extend that ecosystem and give more people a way to participate, connect, and launch what they’re building at AFM”
The rules and business models that have long
“The rules and business models that have long defined our industry are being reinvented, creating new ways for projects to be developed, financed and brought to audiences. At the same time, this is still an industry built on relationships, and bringing the industry together has always been fundamental to AFM. We’re excited to partner with Callo to give our community a smarter way to discover the people and opportunities most relevant to them, make valuable connections and create new possibilities for collaboration and business,” Brenneman added in a statement.
AFM’s theme for 2026 is The New Global Screen Economy, and the market will have an expanded focus on the convergence of independent film and television, creators, technology, and new business models across development, financing, production and distribution. It also introduced an AI track for AI startups as part of what will be called the AFM House and Innovation Hub.
AFM 2026 takes place November 10-15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
