Film London Production Finance Market 2026

‘You really can feel the energy in the room’ said Samuel Ampah of Alliotts Media at the Film London Production Finance Market (PFM) recently.

Media accountant Samuel Ampah and media consultant Ian Gibbon attended the PFM which was held on 6 and 7 October in central London to meet with film makers and talk about UK creative tax reliefs. Now in its 20^th year this unique event attracted 105 producers and filmmakers and 65 financiers to meet in one-to-ones, all with the same aim: getting films made.

This year’s market had grown to three distinct parts. The main strand presented international projects from established filmmakers, the New Talent Strand showcased features from emerging voices, and IP market Upstream brought original ideas from across different disciplines that are ready for screen adaptation.

Scroll down to watch our interview with Samuel Ampah and Ian Gibbon at the PFM.

The market opened with Stephen Kelliher, MD and co-founder of Bankside Films, in conversation with Film London CEO Adrian Wootton OBE. He talked about falling into film by accident, setting up Bankside, the growing number of sales companies, working with first-time directors and how festivals and markets are changing. He also spoke about why cinema releases still matter and how long it takes to get funding in place, drawing on ‘I Swear’, ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’ and Ashley Walters’ upcoming prison drama ‘Animol’.

Kelliher sees the sales agent as part of the creative team, often stepping in as exec producer to help raise money and get films greenlit. The challenge is always finding films that will sell but still feel fresh.

That thinking explains why Bankside backs so many debuts. “An awful lot of our films are debuts, and we’ve had a lot of success in doing so. It excites us, finding new talent and unveiling them to the world.” Getting involved early also helps avoid costly bidding wars later on.

He admits it’s a tough time for the industry but isn’t gloomy: “It does seem to correct itself.” Streaming hasn’t changed distribution as much as predicted, so for Bankside a film still needs a theatrical release to succeed internationally, and 90% of US companies won’t buy non-English language films. With few UK distributors compared to the number of films being made, many projects have no clear route to audiences.

His advice to new producers looking for a sales agent: be prepared, because you only get one shot. Make sure what you show is as strong as it can be at that stage and look at a company’s track record to see if your tastes match. Above all, the film must work in cinemas. “Do we see audiences getting up off the sofa and going to see it?”

More about PFM

PFM is funded and supported by the Mayor of London and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST). Alliotts are year round partners to Film London.

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