American Film Market Will Rethink Networking Through Partnership with Indie Creator Platform Callo — SkimNews
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- American Film Market named Callo its official collaboration platform for AFM 2026, letting badge holders request access to match with collaborators, package projects, review teams, and share film slates during the November 10–15 market in Los Angeles.
- Platinum badge holders receive Callo's intelligent matching and human curation plus invitations to one-on-one meetings at a dedicated Fairmont Century Plaza lounge, while hand-picked non-Platinum participants will get a one-year Callo Slate membership.
- AFM added a panel titled "More Than a Trend: The Rise of Creator Filmmakers" on November 11 at 4:30 PM PT, featuring Callo CEO Fassa Sar, Creator Revolution founder Monica Khan, and IFTA president Jackie Brenneman.
- AFM 2026 runs under the theme "The New Global Screen Economy," with an inaugural Summit on opening day November 10 covering the convergence of independent film and TV, creators, technology, and new financing and distribution models.
- AFM introduced an AI track through the new AFM House and Innovation Hub, alongside an expanded focus on creator-led IP like work from Curry Barker, Kane Parsons, and Markiplier.
- Callo founder Fassa Sar said creators with established online audiences are entering the industry "for the first time" alongside a new generation of producers and financiers, framing the partnership as infrastructure for that shift.
Why it matters: Callo's digital matchmaking now plugs directly into AFM's physical marketplace, giving Platinum badge holders curated one-on-one access at a Fairmont Century Plaza lounge unavailable to standard attendees. The partnership comes as new IFTA president Jackie Brenneman explicitly courts creator-filmmakers — a category Sar frames as already reshaping who shows up to indie dealmaking tables.
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