AFM According to Buyer Elizabeth Williams

Best place to grab a drink after midnight in Santa Monica?

I love Shutters at any time.

Place to avoid during the market?

The Loews lobby after 5 p.m., especially on the Saturday.

Proudest moment at AFM?

Standing on the beach at the end of my first AFM, looking at the sunset and taking it all in. I’d spent the week escaping the London winter for the Santa Monica sunshine; eating, breathing and sleeping films. Even though I was so tired that I couldn’t string another sentence together, I thought, “I have the best job in the world!”

Funniest celebrity interaction at AFM?

Doing a double take when I saw Shirley MacLaine having lunch, having just come from a discussion about her latest film.

Most “AFM” thing to happen to you at the market?

Being pitched in the elevator. And it’s never a proper “elevator pitch.”

Biggest pet peeve about AFM or Santa Monica?

The elevator pitches.

Your secret place to escape the industry?

You can’t beat The Cheesecake Factory for an indulgent escape (and to ward off jet lag).

Your hidden-gem restaurant or bar in West Los Angeles?

I have been told about a tiny local diner often frequented by Tom Hanks for breakfast. I’m seeking it out for the first time this year.

One thing you won’t travel without, besides your phone?

Melatonin.

What’s the best “worst” project you’ve seen on offer at AFM?

Oh, so many to count…there’s always a great one every year.

The thing you like the least about AFM?

Those stairs.

This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter’s Oct. 31 daily issue at the American Film Market.