While preparing what is considered the unofficial annual L.A. Screenings Guide, VideoAge cornered Isabella Marquez (pictured above, l., with associate Lissette San Martin), the organizer of the L.A. Screenings Independents to get a sense of what independent international content companies should be expecting this year.
After the pandemic and the Hollywood fires, many international content companies were reluctant to return to Los Angeles, so our first question was: “How many total exhibitors do you expect at these L.A. Screenings?”
“We have 54 [exhibitors] now,” answered Marquez from her Miami, Florida, office. “But we are expecting several more companies that are pending.” Indeed, content buyers (mostly from Latin America) tend to expect about 60 or so exhibitors at the independent Screenings, which, this year, will take place at the SLS, the new hotel for the L.A. Screenings Independents, before those same buyers head to the Hollywood studio screenings.
It should also be noted that some content distributors don’t officially register with Marquez, which tends to be a problem for hotels for security reasons, but they still actively attend the independent L.A. Screenings, spending their time lounging at the indies’ hotel bar, in the lobby, or at the restaurant, and hold meetings with buyers, producers, distributors, and the press.
When asked how many of the expected 1,200 total buyers attending the L.A. Screenings she’d estimate will visit the SLS Hotel, Marquez answered: “From a minimum of 100 to a maximum of 200.” That puts it on par with NEM Dubrovnik, which just announced that it too is expecting 200 buyers at its June TV market.
As to the question of the change in hotels from last year’s event, Marquez had this to say: “Unlike [last year’s] historic Roosevelt,” began Marquez, “the SLS Hotel offers a distinctly more modern and refined experience. Located at the intersection of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, the area is in close proximity to Rodeo Drive, Melrose Avenue, and dining and shopping destinations. Overall, the transition reflects a shift from a nostalgic, high-traffic tourist hub to a more secure and luxury-focused setting.”
When should exhibitors start to set up shop at the SLS, considering that the indie portion of the L.A. Screenings starts on May 14?
“On the 12th if removing beds, on the 13th if not,” was her short answer.
Finally, VideoAge asked if she would be offering a list of buyers to exhibitors and a list of exhibitors to buyers: “Yes an updated list will be sent daily, if requested.”
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