LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For the first time since the event began in 1981, the American Film Market will not be held in California.
On Tuesday, the Independent Film & Television Alliance and its Board of Directors announced the 2024 event would be moving to Las Vegas and will be held at the Palms Casino from Nov. 5 through Nov. 10.
In a press release, the board said they have been looking at several cities and are happy with their choice of moving the event to the valley.
"After extensive research, discussions with the Board and invaluable feedback from stakeholders, this move underscores our determination to evolving AFM to meet today's industry needs," said Clay Epstein, IFTA Chairperson and President of Film Mode Entertainment. "The strength of the AFM lies in its ability to create community and present a sophisticated platform for our all participants' activities in one convenient location. The Palms enables us to do all of that and beyond."
The AFM had previously been held in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Some of the production, finance, sales and distribution companies that are scheduled to attend this year's event have helped bring movies like Hoodwinked!, Arrival, Promising Young Woman, Brooklyn, High-Rise, Wild Mountain Thyme, and The Age of Adeline to audiences around the world.
Event organizers said additional details will be unveiled in the coming weeks and months.
This isn't the first industry event to call Las Vegas home. Caesars Palace hosts CinemaCon in April. According to convention officials, people from more than 80 countries come to CinemaCon every year and it's where upcoming releases are shown, new products are unveiled, and actors, directors, and producers talk about their latest projects. This year's event is scheduled for April 8-11.
Meantime, the TV and film industries continue to grow across southern Nevada. Plans are moving forward to build a movie studio in Summerlin and another studio could be built near Durango and the 215.
Southern Nevada resident and Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg has previously said he wants Las Vegas to turn into "Hollywood 2.0". He's already made two movies here and said there are lots of opportunities to bring productions here.
"People know how serious we are but you can't put the carriage before the horse," Wahlberg said. "There are tons of talented people here but also, to attract new people you have to make sure that there is a guarantee you work for X amount of time and [the state] wants to make sure that if they're giving up the tax credit that people are going to come."
Wahlberg, as well as fellow actor and Reno resident Jeremy Renner, lobbied state lawmakers to pass a state bill during the last legislative session that proposed up to $190 million in annual film tax credits over more than two decades. However, that bill died without a vote in either house.
Nevada State Sen. Roberta Lange, from Las Vegas, said she is looking at revising the bill and bringing it before lawmakers again during the 2025 legislative session.
