American Film Market (AFM)

So, I was teaching my Creative Writing class the other day and we were having a discussion no writer's block and I lamented the fact that I would probably  die before writing all the novels, screenplays and short stories that I have stored up in my head (and mapped out in a Word document on my computer).

My students then starting asking why I didn't try harder to pursue writing as a career.

I had my usual round of excuses: some sensible and logical, others lazy and pathetic.

I told them about the pitchfests I'd been to and all the film festivals and screenplay competitions Personal Demons has won.

But they kept pushing me, asking if there was anything else I could be doing.

They also encouraged me (as another student did over a decade ago) to film one of my own screenplays and put it in a film festival.  

I told them that I have no designs to direct (which is true), but that I do have several short horror scripts written with the intent of turning them intro short films for a film festival (also true), but that it would take money, people with passion, time and energy... many of those things I am lacking in my life at the moment (mostly the last two).

At any rate, somehow or another we got on the subject of the American Film Market (AFM). I had mentioned it because a close friend of mine had gone there to try and sell his international espionage film. 

They jumped on this idea and, after a bit, they have me fully convinced that I should try and go to the AFM next year (this year's AFM was in November), with my one-sheet poster and script for Personal Demons, and try and get people directly interested in producing my script and finally turning it into a movie.

I'll ask my friend, who will be my Sherpa in this adventure, if that is truly how AFM works. I don't know that it does. But if nothing else, it's an intriguing idea and it's gotten me excited once more for the possibility of being able to write for a living.

 And I love that my students are encouraging me to "chase your dreams!" (that's what they told me), even if it takes me away from education and, thus, teaching them.

We all need more people like that in our lives.

American Film Market