Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) is worldwide network of more than 360 commissions from 40 countries on every continent except Antarctica. The AFCI represents trained, experienced and professional Film Commissioners and their offices and staff, sets standards and provides professional education, offers training and business services in the field of Film Commissioning, and provides regular marketing and network opportunities in Hollywood and around the world for Film Commissions.
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The AFCI was founded in 1975 to serve the growing needs of on-location film and television production. Originally, the AFCI was formed by a small group of film commissioners who wanted to share information and learn from one another’s experiences. The AFCI incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1983. Since then, the AFCI has expanded into a worldwide network of more than 360 commissions from 40 countries on every continent except Antarctica.
Members of the AFCI are Film Commissions from around the world. A film commission is a purpose-built organization or department set up by an interested city, county, state / province or federal government with the specific mandate of promoting and developing filming activity within the jurisdiction. The primary goal of any film commission is to attract film and video production to an area in order to accrue locally-realized benefits from hiring local crews and talent, renting local equipment, using hotel rooms, rental cars, catering services, or any number of goods and services supplied on location. In other words, Film Offices attract Film & TV productions to their locations, and then ensure that the location capitalizes on that production activity.
Member Film Commissions have typically been established by cities, counties, states / provinces or federal governments, and are generally operated and funded by various agencies of government, such as the governor’s office, the mayor’s office, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors’ bureaus, tourism offices and business and economic development departments.
| AFCI Region:
61.7%: US 14.1%: Europe 10.9%: Asia/Oceana 9.4%: Canada 3.9%: Africa/Latin America |
Years in Existence:
25.8%: 1–5 years 20.3%: 6–10 years 14.8%: 11–15 years 16.4%: 16–20 years 7.0%: 21–25 years 15.6%: over 25 years |
Jurisdiction:
42.2%: County/Region 26.6%: State/Province 25.0%: City 6.3%: Country |
Type of Structure:
57.8%: Government 42.2%: non-profit Corp. |
| Agency within:
45.8%: Economic Dev. 18.1%: Tourism 11.1%: Arts/Culture 8.3%: Other 8.3%: Elected Official 5.6%: Stand Alone 2.8%: Community Dev. |
How Governed:
38.6%: Gov. Official/Office 37.0%: Board of Directors 11.8%: Commission 6.3%: Advisory Board 3.9%: Other 2.4%: Volunteer |
Funding Sources:
56.3%: City/Council Gov’t 31.3%: State/Provincial Government 14.1%: Chamber of Commerce/CVB 13.3%: Hotel/Motel Tax 12.5%: Fundraising 12.5%: Corp. Sponsors 9.4%: Private Funds 9.4%: Membership Fees |
Operating Budget:
37.5%: up to $50K US 37.5%: $50 – $150K US 9.4%: $150 – $250K US 4.7%: $250 – $400K US 10.9%: $400K+ US |
| Yrs. Director Held Position:
66.4%: 1–5 years 13.3%: 6–10 years 9.4%: 11–15 years 7.0%: 16–20 years 3.9%: 20+ years |
Full-time Employees:
16.4%: 0 53.1%: 1-2 21.1%: 3-5 7.0%: 6-9 2.3%: 10+ |
Prior Experience of Director:
43.8%: Entertainment Ind. 21.1%: Film Commission 20.3%: Government 19.5%: Tourism 16.4%: Other 14.8%: Business/Admin. 11.7%: Journalism |
Additional Offices?
90.6%: No 9.4%: Yes |
In order to be considered "qualified", Film Commissions must meet the following standards.
In 1985, the AFCI partnered with the American Film Marketing Association to host Location Expo, the first on-location trade show for film and television production. Film Commissions from around the world gathered to promote their locations and services to American producers. The first Location Expo attracted 60 film commissioners and some 1,200 people from the film industry to a Los Angeles exhibition site. During the next four years, the Expo’s space demands increased so that by 1990 the show had to be held at a site different from the AFM conference. Attendance tripled. Then in 1991, Expo relocated with the AFM to Santa Monica. The annual trade show, now an AFCI-sponsored event and known as AFCI Locations, welcomes over 200+ film commissions and commercial affiliates exhibiting their services to more than 3,000 delegates. In 2011, the Locations Show took place alongside the Producers’ Guild of America’s Produced By Conference, at the Disney Studios in Burbank.
Cineposium is an educational and networking event for film commissions first hosted in 1976, it is held annually somewhere in the world. A program of educational seminars, it is designed to teach film commissioners about the management and processes of the film commission business. The 2011 event takes place at Enghien-les-Bains, just outside Paris, France. The AFCI also participates in a number of other Film related events globally including Sundance Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlinale and Busan Film Festival.
AFCI offers multiple levels of training to members and non-members. From the entry level Film Commission Fundamentals online class to Master Classes and the Certified Film Commissioner program, AFCI members are the best trained in the world. AFCI also provides a variety of networking opportunities so members can market their local jurisdictions, educate themselves and their staff on cutting-edge production trends that impact filming on location.
The following are websites that aggregate film commissions 1,100+ film commissions.