Jean Prewitt Kevin Scanlon Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment After a quarter century as president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the association that runs the American Film Market, Jean Prewitt is calling time. Prewitt, who has led IFTA and the AFM through some of the most turbulent years in the history of independent film - through the rise of streaming and the collapse of the theatrical market, the COVID shutdowns and the dual strikes - will be stepping down after this year's AFM. "I never planned to stay for 25 years," Prewitt tells THR. "I recall [legendary indie film financier] Lew Horwitz asking me when I was interviewing for this, if I intended it to be my last job, and I said: 'No, absolutely not.' I realized, 25 years in, if I don't move now, it will be my last job." Related Stories Movies Joe Alwyn, Benedict Wong and Sheila Atim Join Jury for 2026 BAFTA Rising Star Award Movies Producing Partners Jessica Alba and Tracey Nyberg Unpack Lady Metalmark's Women-First Philosophy: "It's Still So Bleak in Hollywood" Before she hands over the reins, Prewitt is putting on one last show. After three years of upheaval - capped by last year's unpopular relocation to Las Vegas - the 2025 AFM marks the event's return to Los Angeles, with a new (and hopefully permanent) home at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City. The broader outlook for the international indie business remains uncertain. Theatrical has yet to fully recover from the pandemic slump, streamers have tightened their acquisition budgets and AI threatens to upend every established business model. With costs rising, many producers and sellers are questioning the value of a six-day, in-person market. (Adding to the pressure: Toronto's plans to launch a competing fall market next year.) Still, AFM 2025 is sold out, and Prewitt insists the show's core purpose endures - as a hub for dealmaking, discovery and solidarity among independents. "If you're not at the table, they're going to eat your lunch," she says. "And I've been very good, I think, about making sure we're not forgotten." Prewitt spoke to THR about 25 years of leading the AFM, the evolution of the indie film world, and what she'll miss most - and least - about the job. Given all the disruption and uncertainty in the indie film business right now, are you happy this is your last AFM? It depends on the day. Last night, when I was in the middle of listening to two departments debate whether we were organizing our listing in the show directory alphabetically, by floor or randomly - based on which one was of the most interest to people - it was hard not to say: "This is next year's problem." But as we get closer, I have the summer camp cadre, the going-to-market cadre feel. There is just so much community here. It's hard to believe I won't know the next chapter of the story. But at this moment in my career, I'm balancing way too many things, between doing all the advocacy I do for the industry and doing the show. I'd like a little simplicity in my life. But the show is an amazing event, and I'm not running out the door thinking, "Let somebody else do this." I'm trying to figure out a way to hand over a very healthy event to the next person. Are you stepping back to focus on advocacy? I'm actually leaving because I never planned to stay for 25 years. I recall Lew Horwitz - one of the big leaders in film financing and presales - asking me when I was interviewing for the job if I intended this to be my last job, because there was a tradition of people retiring from studios to run the AFM and then taking nonprofit jobs. I said, "No, absolutely not." I realized at 25 years, if I don't move, it will be my last job. I want more freedom to do other things that are important to me, some of which relate to social policy and social justice. I never went to law school to practice law. I went to law school because I felt you had to have those skills in your tool kit to make a difference in public policy and in the world. I was very involved at that point in affordable housing, which I had worked on at various levels. Then I went off to learn how to practice law. Then I went off to work for Universal and Disney practicing law. And then all of a sudden, there was a whole career. All of which is a way of saying it's time for me to check back in on what I intended to do, and particularly in this environment, there are other goals that need to be served. Yes, I would do some advocacy. There are things I would do within this industry that are targeted, but I do now want to take a hard look at how I can contribute in a different way. Cast your mind back to 2000. How did the independent industry look then, and what are the biggest changes since? My goodness. The interesting thing about when I was hired was the boar