AFM Launches The AFM House, a 15,000-Square-Foot Venue Housing Its Innovation Hub and Cinemas Club

AFM's 2026 Market gains a dedicated 15,000-square-foot venue, The AFM House, that puts its AI and technology programming and a new theatrical-exhibition track under one roof for every registered badge holder. The indoor and outdoor space sits across from the Fairmont Century Plaza and opens across four days in November.

• The Innovation Hub gets a dedicated home. Presented with Cannes Next, the Marché du Film's innovation program, the Hub gathers AI startups, technology companies, and creative-technology programming in one space.
• A theatrical-exhibition track joins AFM. The Cinemas Club, co-created by the Marché du Film and Cine Group, adds an exhibition and speaker series on the future of theatrical cinema and audience engagement.
• Open to every AFM badge holder. The House is accessible to all registered AFM badge holders, with no separate pass beyond Market registration.
• Runs four days in November. The AFM House opens Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14, 2026, at The Pavilion at Century Park.
• Built around the "New Global Screen Economy" theme. The Market's 2026 theme drives fireside chats, presentations, networking, and a marketplace of companies, technologies, and services working in film and television.

Cannes Next anchors the Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub is the centerpiece of The AFM House. AFM presents it with Cannes Next, the Marché du Film's innovation program that launched in 2025, and says the space will feature AI startups, technology companies, and forward-looking programming.

Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Director of the Marché du Film, said the market has built programs addressing "the major transformations shaping our industry, from AI and emerging technologies with Cannes Next to the future of theatrical exhibition through the Cinemas Club."

AI adoption is a recurring topic at the Market; we covered how platform builders see AI at AFM.

The Cinemas Club adds a theatrical-exhibition track

The Cinemas Club, co-created by the Marché du Film and Cine Group, brings an exhibition and speaker series focused on theatrical cinema. AFM says it gathers cinema exhibitors, theatre owners, distributors, producers, and industry experts for discussions on theatrical exhibition, audience engagement, and the evolving cinema experience.

The program debuted at the 2026 Marché du Film in Cannes before extending to Los Angeles, part of the Marché's Cannes programming that we've tracked through AI tools built for Cannes.

Julien Marcel, President of Cine Group, said "theatrical exhibition has rarely needed more of what this Market stands for: a broader and more diverse slate of films reaching screens."