Albuquerque Film & Music Experience

What Albuquerque Film & Music Experience does

The Albuquerque Film & Music Experience (AFMX), powered by the AFME Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2013, it operates an annual film and music festival that combines curated film screenings, live music performances, pitch panels for filmmakers, master classes, and educational programming for students and emerging artists across New Mexico. Year-round activities include curated panels, fundraising events with industry leaders, volunteer and internship programs, and outreach to middle school, high school, and college students. The organization has earned public endorsement from Robert Redford, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and maintains relationships with a set of unnamed premier corporate sponsors visible on its website.

AFMX monetizes through four identifiable revenue streams: corporate sponsorships (premier sponsor packages), tax-deductible donations, festival-related ticket and submission fees, and year-round fundraising events with industry leaders. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; sponsorships and donations are accessed through direct engagement. The organization is community-led and event-driven, with annual festival cadence as the primary flagship, supported by an ecosystem of related programming (education, volunteer, pitch panels, galleries). Distribution is primarily regional, anchored in Albuquerque, with no evidence of paid acquisition or paid digital channels.

In February 2026, AFMX announced it will bypass its annual festival in 2026 as a "strategic rebuild year," refunding 2026 submissions and shifting focus to educational programming, community outreach, and curated panels and master classes. The organization states it intends to return with the festival in 2027 "bigger and better than ever," with leadership citing the need to secure venue infrastructure and sustainable partnerships. Leadership comprises Larry Schwartz as President of the AFME Foundation Board and Jonathan Nagel as a Board Member; no parent company, institutional investors, or paid capital structure is present.

Name

Albuquerque Film & Music Experience

Legal name

AFME Foundation

Website

https://abqfilmx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Albuquerque Film & Music Experience (AFMX), a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2013, runs an annual film and music festival and year-round education, panel, and fundraising programming for filmmakers, musicians, students, and emerging artists across New Mexico, currently pausing its 2026 festival for strategic rebuild.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Music Festival

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Film festival
• Music festival
• Arts education
• Community outreach
• Creative industry events

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from premier sponsors who support the annual festival and year-round programs.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals and organizations supporting the 501(c)(3) non-profit's mission.
3. Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival attendance, submissions, and related event participation.
4. Fundraising Events: Year-round fundraising events with industry leaders throughout 2026 as part of its strategic rebuild year.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AFMX operates an annual film and music festival in Albuquerque, NM that combines curated film screenings, live music performances, filmmaker pitch panels, and professional development programming. Around the festival it runs year-round curated panels, master classes, fundraising events, education programs for middle, high school, and college students as well as emerging artists, and a 501(c)(3) donation/sponsorship program supporting its mission.

Product overview

Albuquerque Film & Music Experience (AFMX) is a non-profit organization powered by the AFME Foundation, operating primarily as an annual film and music festival. The organization functions as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the annual AFMX Festival, which showcases groundbreaking cinema and live performances. Supporting offerings include year-round events (panels, master classes, fundraising events), education programs for students and emerging artists, pitch panels for filmmakers, volunteer/internship opportunities, sponsorship programs, and donation acceptance. The organization also maintains galleries documenting historical festival events from 2013-2025. In 2026, the organization is strategically pausing its annual festival to focus on foundation-building, returning with the festival in 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Albuquerque Film + Music Experience (AFMX) Festival Annual film and music festival bringing together groundbreaking cinema, live performances, and professional development for filmmakers, students, and creatives across New Mexico.
• Year-Round Events Curated panels, master classes, and fundraising events with industry leaders run throughout the year, serving filmmakers, students, and creatives across New Mexico.
• Education Programs

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sundance Film FestivalminorOthersRobert Redford, Founder of Sundance Film Festival, publicly endorsed the AFME organization, stating he was pleased with the reaction and enthusiasm from the audience, indicating recognition from a major industry figure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sundance Film Festival: Founded by Robert Redford (AFMX's endorser), Sundance is the preeminent US independent film festival with year-round labs and an institute. Directly comparable as a film-festival brand with educational programming and filmmaker development focus.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): TIFF is a leading global film festival with industry programming, talent development, and year-round educational initiatives. Comparable to AFMX as a film festival serving filmmakers, industry, and audience.
• South by Southwest (SXSW): SXSW combines film, music, and education/tech programming in a multi-week annual festival. Comparable to AFMX as a fusion film-and-music festival serving creators, industry, and audiences with parallel tracks.
• Tribeca Film Festival: Tribeca is a major US film festival with strong industry, sponsor, and education programming. Comparable to AFMX as a multi-track film festival with filmmaker development and community-facing mission.
• Nashville Film Festival: Mid-sized US film festival combining independent film programming with music-industry connections. Comparable in scope to AFMX as a non-tier-1 indie festival with music crossover and education programming.
• Slamdance Film Festival: Independent film festival focused on emerging and micro-budget filmmakers. Comparable to AFMX in independent spirit, filmmaker-development focus, and mid-scale festival positioning.

Regional players

• Mill Valley Film Festival: Regional US film festival with education programming and community focus. Comparable to AFMX as a regional-scale festival combining film screenings with filmmaker workshops and educational outreach.
• Santa Fe Film Festival: Regional New Mexico film festival operating in the same state as AFMX. Comparable as a regional festival targeting independent filmmakers and local audiences in a smaller market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/abqfilmx
• Facebookfacebook.com/AFMXnm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/AFMXnm
• Instagraminstagram.com/afmxnm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Albuquerque Film & Music Experience