About Us

FightForIndependents.org is committed to uniting individuals and organizations concerned with protecting independent film & television production and distribution in North America.
 
Our independent voices are united by the power of the Internet to form a chorus of both passionate advocates and engaged consumers who all share the belief that the preservation of independent media is integral to the development, health, and excitement of our culture and society.
 
What is an independent?
The Independent are the companies -- producers and distributors -- that finance their film or television programs primarily from sources other than the six major studios, and control distribution in the majority of the world. Independent films and programs are produced for low, medium and large budgets. The companies and individuals that produce these works face tremendous financial risks in producing, selling, distributing and promoting their work.
 
Yet, it is precisely this financial risk-taking that fosters creativity and makes independent productions unique.
 
Who is IFTA?
The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the trade association of independent producers and distributors of motion picture and television programming worldwide. Formerly known as the American Film Marketing Association, the non-profit organization was established in 1980 by a group of independents whose main goal was to expand the independent film business by creating a world-class trade show, the American Film Market (AFM).
 
Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization now represents more than 150 companies from 23 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, and financial institutions engaged in film finance. Collectively, IFTA Members produce more than 400 independent films and countless hours of television programming each year and generate more than $4 billion in sales revenues annually.  
 
Since 1980, IFTA Members have produced and distributed more than half of the films that have won the "Best Picture" Academy Award including Gandhi, Amadeus, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Braveheart, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, The Departed, No Country for Old Men, Slumdog Millionaire and The Hurt Locker. During 2010, IFTA Members have continued to produce, distribute and finance some of the world's most prominent films, including The American, Edge of Darkness, The Expendables, The Kids are All Right, Legion, Letters to Juliet, Machete, Step Up 3D, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. 
 
Today, IFTA’s American Film Market (AFM) is the largest motion picture trade show in the world. 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 are sealed - on both completed films and those that haven’t even begun shooting. With 8,000 attendees, hundreds of screenings, and seminars by leading industry organizations, the AFM is the pivotal destination for independent film companies and businesspeople from around the world.