A big debut

Hollywood Reel/ The Indian entertainment industry is present in force at the American Film Market

"The Indian cinema market intrigues us and even excites us but sitting here on the other side of the world we are unable to decipher it," Jonas Rosenfield, former president of the American Film Marketing Association, told me in his office in 1998.

The grand old man of independent cinema had promised me all the help and assistance he could muster if India were to get a high-profile delegation of government ministers, officials, producers, exhibitors and distributors to the American Film Market (AFM), an annual event held in Santa Monica. Two summers later Rosenfield died in his sleep at his home in the Pacific Palisades. He was 84.

Had Rosenfield been around today, he would have been the first to welcome Jaipal Reddy, minister for information and broadcasting, who is leading an Indian entertainment industry delegation to the 25th edition of the AFM.

Indian distributors Eros Entertainment and National Film Development Corporation are already registered as exhibitors at the AFM. Other Indian delegates include Ronnie Screwvala of UTV, Manmohan Shetty of Entertainment One, Bobby Bedi of Kaliedoscope, Ajjay Bijili of PVR, Atul Goel of E City and Avinaash Jumani of WEG. This is the most important visit by the Indian film industry to the AFM, at a time when the Indian entertainment industry is a sunrise industry.

Rosenfield left behind the legacy of the AFM , which he organised for close to two decades. He will be remembered in Hollywood for helping independent film producers compete with the major studios by creating the AFM. Under his leadership, the AFM grew from 34 exhibiting companies in 1981 to more than 300.

The independent film movement in the US benefited a lot from Rosenfield's work "� he created model contracts for film sales, lobbied for international copyright protection, created a system to evaluate the credit ratings of buyers and established an arbitration system to settle disputes between distributors and producers. A lifelong fan of foreign films, he served for many years on the committee that nominated foreign-language films for Oscars.

The AFM is organised by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, a trade association that represents independent producers and distributors of motion pictures and television programming worldwide. Its 160 member companies from the U.S., Europe and Australasia include Alliance-Atlantis, Artisan, Capitol Films, Carlton International Media, Filmax, Focus Features, Franchise Pictures and FreemantleMedia.

This year the AFM has moved from its February dates to November and has a record 435 films screenings planned. For eight days in November, the AFM will be the epicenter of the international film industry. With over 300 motion picture companies and 7,000 film executives, the AFM will assemble the largest gathering of the industry's most influential leaders. Hundreds of films will be financed, packaged and licensed, sealing over half a billion dollars in business for both completed films and those at a preproduction stage.

"As a global trade association, the AFM's role is to anticipate and serve the long-term needs of the independent film industry," says Jean Prewitt, president of Independent Film & Television Alliance. "The November dates enhance its ability to create new programmes and services during the AFM while showcasing independent film in Hollywood in advance of the awards season," he explains. Meanwhile, AFM has already announced the dates for the market in the next two years "� November 2-9, 2005 and November 1-8, 2006.

Almost 75 new exhibitors will be present at the main venue of the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and some will overflow for the first time into the Le Merigot Hotel next door. The cost of attending the entire market is $775 and the entry ticket is valid for the 28 screens around Santa Monica.

This year for the first time the AFM will coincide with the American Film Institute Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI FEST). Now in its 17th year, the AFI is one of the US's fastest-growing film events and the premier international film festival in Los Angeles. It is also the longest-running film festival in Los Angeles.

So the Indian delegation will have its diaries and PDAs filled with meetings, screenings and engagements as they navigate the AFM this November. The Indian entertainment industry can hope this will give an additional exposure to its products, personalities and companies in the international market.

Lall is the president and CEO of LALL Entertainment, a company based in Los Angeles and New Delhi. He can be contacted at lallentertainment@hotmail.com