AFCI Locations Show 2012

The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) hosted a great 2012 event in mid-June at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The annual show is designed to give the production community access to a vast range of incentives, production locations, and business and support services essential to the industry. This year, show organizers say the event featured more than $2.5 billion of incentives, services and support for film and television production. It also coincided with the opening weekend of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival.

Approximately 2,500 filmmakers and locations professionals were in attendance for Locations 2012, and they had the unique opportunity to engage with more than 170 film commissioners from more than 40 countries. The bottom line: If you're an independent producer or represent a small production company, the AFCI Locations Show is a must-attend. You'll make a lot of new contacts and you'll learn a great deal.

Those who attended this year can attest to the quality of the seminars and guest speakers. This year’s event offered 15 panel sessions and workshops featuring industry leaders, filmmakers and the creative teams behind some of the most talked-about films of the last two years, the AFCI says. I sat in on several sessions myself, including The Future of Film Incentives, a panel discussion about the next five years in film incentives may look like; and the LA Film Festival Keynote Speech, with Christopher McGurk, CEO of Cinedigm. He spoke about the future of independent film. I came away from both sessions thinking our industry has a very bright future.

Learn more about the show here: http://www.afcilocationsshow.com/about. Perhaps I will see you there next year!