Distribution
Navigating Film Markets
Film markets are where films get sold. AFM, Cannes' Marché, Berlin's EFM — these are the trade shows where buyers and sellers meet and distribution deals are made. This course explains what film markets are, how they work, and how to prepare, pitch, and make deals at them.
What you'll learn
✓What film markets are and how they differ from festivals
✓How AFM, Cannes' Marché, and Berlin's EFM actually work
✓Who the buyers and sellers are and how deals get made
✓How to prepare, pitch, and build a film-market strategy
Pairs with this tool
Filmmaker Toolbox
The Toolbox helps you organize the materials, contacts, and deliverables a film market runs on — so when you or your sales agent works the floor, everything a buyer might ask for is ready.
Open Filmmaker Toolbox →Course chapters
Module 1 — Foundations
I8 min
What a film market is and why it's where films get sold
What Film Markets Are
II8 min
The difference between a market and a festival — and how they connect
Film Markets vs. Festivals
III8 min
Booths, screenings, and meetings — the mechanics of a market
How a Film Market Works
IV9 min
The major markets that anchor the global film calendar
The World's Biggest Film Markets
Module 2 — Core Craft
V9 min
A closer look at the American Film Market and how it runs
The American Film Market (AFM)
VI9 min
Cannes' Marché, Berlin's EFM, and the international market circuit
Cannes, Berlin & the Global Markets
VII9 min
Who's actually in the room: buyers, sellers, and sales agents
Buyers, Sellers & Sales Agents
VIII9 min
How to pitch your film to a market buyer and get their attention
Your Film Market Pitch
Module 3 — Putting It to Work
IX8 min
The materials, plan, and homework to do before a market
Preparing for a Film Market
X8 min
Whether and how to attend a market as an indie filmmaker
Attending as an Indie Filmmaker
XI9 min
How deals get negotiated and closed on the market floor
Making Deals at the Market
XII9 min
Bring it all together into a film-market strategy for your film
Your Film Market Strategy