Unbelievable! L.A. Film Fans Get Exclusive Access to Best Films from Global Festivals at AFI Fest!

American Film Institute Unveils Full Lineup for AFI Fest

On Tuesday, the American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the comprehensive schedule for the upcoming AFI Fest, providing local cinema enthusiasts their first opportunity to experience numerous acclaimed films from this year’s global festival circuit. The festival is slated to take place from October 23rd to 27th.

As previously stated, the AFI Fest will kick off with the world premiere of Laurent Bouzereau’s documentary “Music by John Williams,” a tribute to the five-time Oscar-winning composer who crafted unforgettable scores for films like “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Superman,” and many more. A centerpiece screening will feature the world premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ “Here,” reuniting him with “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. In addition, Zemeckis will participate in a Directors Spotlight event, a session that includes film clips and a career-spanning discussion with his frequent collaborator Hanks.

The festival will conclude with the world premiere of Clint Eastwood’s latest film, “Juror #2,” a legal thriller starring Nicholas Hoult.

“We take immense pride in showcasing the best of global cinema in the city of Los Angeles,” commented Todd Hitchcock, director of AFI Fest, in a statement. He added, “Our festival is a celebration of diverse narratives and unique perspectives that promise to captivate audiences of all ages.”

Under Hitchcock’s guidance for the second year, the festival appears to be establishing itself as a platform for presenting the year’s best films to audiences in Los Angeles. The announcement included several films from international festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes, Venice, Telluride, and Toronto.

The festival will also feature “Zurawski v Texas,” a documentary on abortion rights executive produced by Hilary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jennifer Lawrence that premiered at Telluride.

Other films that premiered at Venice include Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” featuring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas, Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5,” a dramatization of the 1972 Olympics hostage crisis, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s medieval farming drama “Harvest,” Alex Ross Perry’s “Pavements,” and Justin Kurzel’s fact-based crime drama “The Order.”

Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina,” about the cultural clash in a New York City restaurant’s kitchen, premiered earlier this year at Berlin. This festival also showcased “No Other Land,” a documentary on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict made by filmmakers from both countries. The film is not yet available for U.S distribution, making festival screenings the only way for audiences to watch it.

Cannes premiered films such as David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” and Jia Zhang-ke’s “Caught by the Tides,” among others. Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Noémie Merlant’s horror-comedy “The Balconettes,” and Carson Lund’s “Eephus” also first played at Cannes.

From Toronto, the festival will showcase Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” Durga Chew-Bose’s “Bonjour Tristesse,” and Samir Oliveros’ “The Luckiest Man in America.” Rachel Morrison’s boxing drama “The Fire Inside,” and Marielle Heller’s psychological horror tale “Nightbitch” starring Amy Adams also premiered in Toronto.

The festival’s lineup also includes Jesse Eisenberg’s dramedy “A Real Pain” and Chris Smith’s documentary on the music group “Devo,” both of which premiered at Sundance.

The festival will also screen nine films representing their countries for the international feature Academy Award, including Mati Diop’s “Dahomey,” Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here,” and others.

Last year’s AFI Fest showcased over 20 submissions for the international feature Oscar, and featured the world premiere of Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind” and a screening of Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro.”

Tickets for this year’s AFI Fest are currently available at fest.afi.com. Eight-ticket bundles will be available from October 4th, and individual tickets will be on sale from October 7th.