LASI 2023: Indies give way to Majors

The 2023 edition of LA Screening Independents kicks off this Friday, May 19, as the week of screenings for Hollywood studios kicks off with presentations until next Wednesday the 24th.

By Sebastian Amoroso from Los Angeles, USA.

The third and final day of LA Screening Independents (LASI) 2023, which took place from May 17 through Friday the 19th at the iconic and renovated Fairmont Century Plaza, ended by opening the door for a new event concept, following the experience of Conference Block and C21 Media Parallel edition of Content LA hosted by.

Regarding the presence of exhibitors with suites and meeting tables, there were more than 80 production and distribution companies, and an estimated record of 350 buyers from Latin America, as confirmed by Isabella Marquez from TM Events to TTVNews.

As per the questions released through this medium, for these three days, the result has been uneven. For some distributors, it was a market with full and useful appointments. The outlook for others was not so encouraging. The truth is that the movement has been cowardly. The representatives are few and the buyers are few.

And although a parallel version of Content LA, a series of conferences and a market hosted by C21 Media attracted some domestic viewers, the truth is that the crossover between the markets was unclear.

On the other hand, there was no major news or major announcements except for the co-production agreement between Caracol Television of Colombia and Inter Media of Turkey, or the alliance between Canela Media and Hemisphere Media Group.

Other aspects that captured the attendees’ conversation included the contraction of the market and the impact of mergers, which has brought a wave of layoffs, and will continue to do so.

Added to this, of course, is the return of original production by the big players, the panorama that is taking shape in terms of new business models in streaming (SVOD, AVOD, FAST), a return to licensing of content from the Hollywood giants—us It remains to be seen what they will present at their screenings – as well as the relevance of co-production alliances, both scripted and unscripted.

news from the indies

In regards to the future of the industry, the final day featured announcements regarding the production and distribution of content including original fiction, entertainment formats and co-production projects.

In this sense, RCN’s paradigm has been on display since the launch of its studio (RCN Estudios) in Los Angeles, where its distribution arm presents news for 2023, including Ana de nadie and Tía Alison.

On the Turkish content side, producer and distributor OGM Universe appeared in LA screening independents for the first time with a portfolio of series headed by the drama Miracles of Love, in addition to exploring co-production alliances with Hispanic partners to produce in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Turkish distributor Kanal D International presented its new title Farewell Letter at LASI with excellent comments from potential buyers.

As far as entertainment formats are concerned, production company 360 Pow Wow has announced that it is close to releasing two volumes of Let’s Make a Deal, with many more on the way, while deals for Wedding Crashers are on the way. Are.

In addition to news of its tie-up with Hemisphere Media Group, Canela Media has been the protagonist of LA Screenings Independents 2023, with innovations such as its upcoming titles Secretos de las Indomables and Secretos de Villanas, and more than 2,000 production hours for 2024. Material

With LA screening independents, Hollywood’s “Heads of Week” begins this Saturday, May 20, with CBS Global Distribution’s traditional screening in the morning, where buyers will have access to viewing pilots and renewals for new seasons of series.

At night, Independent Telefilms—which is close to the market—will have screenings at Regency Century Plaza, where it will introduce some 30 new films to the market and present previews and news about its original series and film projects in Mexico, Argentina, and Mexico. Will do and Brazil.

Following that, the screening schedule will be NBCUniversal and FOX Entertainment Global (Sunday 22), Warner Bros. Discovery (Monday 22), Amazon/MGM (Monday 22), Sony Pictures Television (Tuesday 23) and The Walt Disney Company Latin America (Wednesday). 24).