> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Celluloid heroes take town by storm - URL: https://www.smdp.com/celluloid-heroes-take-town-by-storm/ - Published: 2005-10-29T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T08:04:39.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import *Film deal with city runs until ’08* DOWNTOWN — More than $15 million will be spent in Santa Monica within a nine-day period, beginning next week, as the American Film Market lifts up the curtain on its 15th year here. AFM has booked about 1,400 local hotel rooms, and restaurants and businesses are gearing up for one of their busiest weeks of the year. By far the largest event held during the year in Santa Monica, the AFM’s success and continued growth is crucial to the city’s economy. Tourism officials estimate film market brings between $15 and $17 million in revenue into Santa Monica, with more than 7,000 film executives eating, drinking, shopping and doing business here from Nov. 2 to Nov. 9. “AFM has become part of the fabric of Santa Monica,” said Loews Hotel, the headquarters of the AFM, has been transformed into a virtual office building, with all 342 rooms converted into offices for industry types to make deals. (See related story.) A record 540 films are confirmed to screen at 31 different locations, including all the theaters in town, plus purpose-built digital screening rooms at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Le Merigot. In total, the theater screens will accommodate about 850 screenings. A record 382 market premieres will be debuted, as well as a record 410 exhibitors taking part in the 2005 AFM, making it the largest market in the event’s history. Exhibitors will come from 33 countries, also a record. The exhibitors represent a 15-percent increase from the 356 companies that exhibited at the November 2004 AFM, officials said. The increase is across-the-board, with 70 countries represented and 35 languages are featured in the films. The AFM is the world’s largest motion picture trade event, a global marketplace where more than $500 million in motion picture and television production and distribution deals are closed annually. Each year, more than 7,000 industry professionals converge in Santa Monica for nine days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, networking and hospitality. Participants include leaders in motion picture and television production and distribution, directors, agents, writers, lawyers, bankers, festival directors, film commissioners and trade groups. The market has come a long way since it came to Santa Monica in 1991\. Then, between 275 and 300 films were shown. And AFM only used a few floors of Loews for offices. “There is a lot more activity,” said Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of Independent Film & Television Alliance and managing director of AFM. He added that while the number of atten-dees has held steady at about 7,000, there are more films being distributed and more business is being done. “Our trade show has not been that volatile,” Wolf said. “We are at about our target.” What makes Santa Monica appealing to AFM officials is that it’s in a condensed area along the ocean, is able to accommodate 160,000 net square feet of exhibit space with two dozen movie theaters. > “We do everything we can to roll out the red carpet for visitors.” — Misti Kerns, president and CEO of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau “You are able to walk everywhere within 15 minutes and that’s important to our international visitors,” Wolf said. “Santa Monica really offers us that mix and there aren’t many places in Southern California that offer that.” Officials have noticed that over the years, more attendees have chosen to stay in Santa Monica, as well as shop and dine here. They’re also staying longer. “Our attendees rarely go east of Lincoln,” Wolf said. “And it’s over $1 million in business for hotels.” AFM has contracted with the city of Santa Monica and Loews through 2008\. While it’s unknown whether the market will continue here, it’s been a good fit thus far and the relationships continue to grow stronger, officials said. “We are the perfect destination for it,” Kerns said. “Could it go somewhere else? Eventually, sure it could, we hope it won’t. “People take for granted that the American Film Market will always come back,” she added. “We worked hard to rebook that piece of business. “I would say, please don’t take this piece of business for granted because if one hotel decides it doesn’t want to play ball, we would have a problem,” Kerns added. “There are a certain number of rooms and if we don’t meet that need, then we’ll start losing out to the Marina. That is my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Wolf said he’s routinely courted by other communities to host the trade show, but so far nothing has been able to measure up to Santa Monica. “I’ve seen a lot of red carpets, but none that I’ve wanted to walk down,” he said. Santa Monica’s hospitality business jumped 20 points in occupancy and rates in November 2004 from the year prior, mostly due to the AFM, which a couple of years ago moved from holding the trade show in February to November. “I think moving dates was extremely beneficial for us,” Kerns said. “It was phenomenal last November and I really think we are going to be close to it again.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/102905-01_01.jpg) THE LOEWS DOWN: Hotel workers scramble to prep rooms for the AFM. (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/102905-01_02.jpg) (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/102905-01_03.jpg) (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 29, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102905.pdf?ref=smdp.com)