AMERICAN FILM MARKET NAMES FIVE NOMINEES FOR FIRST FAVORITE FILM PITCH AWARD

Public to Choose Favorite Pitch in Online Voting Through Jan. 20 at www.peopleschoice.com

01/07/2010

The American Film Market (AFM) has announced the five nominees for the first Favorite Film Pitch award: Stephanie Bell (The Devil of Appalachia), Carlo Besasie (All The Queen’s Men), Mouncey Ferguson (Forger), Barry Kneller (The Mechanics) and David Minnihan (Father John).

During THE 2010 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS last night, fans were offered the unprecedented chance to begin voting exclusively at www.peopleschoice.com through Jan. 20 for the pitch they would most like to see get made into a film.

AFM teamed with the People’s Choice Awards (PCA) to create the Favorite Film Pitch award contest. It is designed to provide an increased opportunity to get film pitches in front of producers, distributors and, in a unique twist, the voting public.

Submissions to the first Favorite Film Pitch contest were recorded live Nov. 7-10, 2009, on a mini-set at the American Film Market. Each pitch was limited to two-and-a-half minutes.

The AFM assembled a group of industry leaders to select the five finalists. In addition to receiving the Favorite Film Pitch award, the winner will receive an AFM 2010 package that includes full access for two to the AFM, including seminars and conferences; airfare for two to Los Angeles; hotel for five nights in Santa Monica; and scheduled meetings with producers and distributors.

The People’s Choice website at www.peopleschoice.com serves as a year-round destination for entertainment enthusiasts to voice their opinions on pop culture. Now in its 36th year, The People’s Choice Awards is voted on entirely by the public for fan favorites in music, movies and television. Fred Nelson is the President of People’s Choice, and the website and awards show are produced by Procter & Gamble Productions.

About The AFM
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution – a truly collaborative process – reaches its peak every year at the AFM when more than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties. Participants come from over 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.

Founded in 1981, the AFM has become the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood’s decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed — on both completed films and those that haven’t started shooting yet — making AFM the must-attend industry event.

The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs. More information can be found at www.AmericanFilmMarket.com.