Today’s AFI Movie Club pick is the Benedict Cumberbatch-led, The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion.
“THE POWER OF THE DOG looks to the hills for secrets unseen – and finds them in powerful, poetic images that transport audiences with a modern look back at the American West. This landmark work proves Jane Campion’s unparalleled ability to capture a world of breathless beauty and breathtaking brutality, both wrapped tight as a rope. This slow-burn tale is a brilliant exercise in suspense and release – masterfully manifested by a brilliant cast and an unforgettably complex performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.” -The American Film Institute, AFI AWARDS 2021
The Power of the Dog is based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name and is currently streaming on Netflix. In addition, Campion became the first woman ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director twice. Campion was previously nominated in 1993 for The Piano, for which she earned an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The Power of the Dog was recently showered with twelve Oscar nominations, including Cumberbatch as Best Actor and Campion for Screenwriting and Directing.
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating.
AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
For President’s Day, the American Film Institute AFI Movie Club selected Dave, a political comedy/romance about a Presidential lookalike named Dave recruited by the Secret Service to become a stand-in for the President of the United States.
Dave stars Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, and is directed by the recently departed, Ivan Reitman. Check out the video on the iconic director (Animal House, Ghostbusters, Stripes) and his commentary on tone in his films!
Interestingly, Dave features a number of cameos by real-life politicians who were given the green light to improvise and deliver monologues on their respective ideologies. The pols donated all their earned wages from the film to charities.
Notable, writer Gary Ross was working as a speechwriter for then-presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, as he was penning the screenplay for Dave. Ross received an Academy Award nomination for his efforts – for his Dave screenplay!
Dave is available to stream on Hoopla, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.
AFI DOCS Programming Moves to the Fall as Pandemic Endures
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, February 2, 2022 – AFI FEST 2022 has officially announced its dates and call for entries. The 36th edition of AFI FEST will take place in Los Angeles, CA, on November 2-6, 2022. Entries open today and filmmakers are invited to submit fiction, documentary, experimental, and animated short films.
AFI also announced that because of the ongoing uncertainty due to the pandemic, AFI FEST will expand its programming with nonfiction films traditionally presented at AFI DOCS in Washington, DC.
Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO
“AFI’s goal is to provide a safe environment for artists and audiences alike,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “Uniting our events this year to be held in the fall will allow us to achieve this at a standard worthy of AFI and the storytellers who devote their lives to inspire and educate.”
AFI FEST will have submission deadlines — early, official and final — for fiction shorts (under 40 minutes) and nonfiction shorts (under 40 minutes). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Live-Action and Animated Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®.
SHORT FILM SUBMISSION DATES
Early Deadline – Wednesday, March 2
Official Deadline – Wednesday, April 20
Final Deadline – Wednesday, June 15
Filmmakers can email Programming@AFI.com for more information about the submissions process.
For sponsorship opportunities at AFI FEST 2022, contact JL Hernandez at JHernandez@AFI.com.
Program highlights from AFI FEST 2021 include the Opening Night World Premiere of tick, tick…BOOM!; World Premieres of Halle Berry’s directorial debut BRUISED, SING 2 and SWAN SONG starring Mahershala Ali; Red Carpet Premieres of KING RICHARD directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Will Smith, Pedro Almodóvar’s PARALLEL MOTHERS and THE POWER OF THE DOG directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee; and the Indie Contenders roundtable featuring Caitriona Balfe (BELFAST), Nicolas Cage (PIG), Colman Domingo (ZOLA), Ann Dowd (MASS), Dakota Johnson (THE LOST DAUGHTER) and Simon Rex (RED ROCKET).
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST, AFI DOCS, and a year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including the AFI Directing Workshop forWomen and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. AFI’s newest program is AFI Movie Club, a daily global engagement for those who love the movies. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.
About AFI FEST
Now in its 36th year, AFI FEST is a world-class event, showcasing the best films from across the globe. With an innovative slate of programming, the five-day festival historically presents screenings, panels, and conversations, featuring both master filmmakers and new cinematic voices. This year’s edition takes place November 2-6, 2022. The festival includes high-profile films with Q&As featuring the films’ cast and crew and a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts presented in established AFI FEST sections. Additional information about AFI FEST is available at FEST.AFI.com. Connect with AFI FEST at Facebook.com/AFIFEST, Twitter.com/AFIFEST, Instagram/AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.
HollywoodGlee celebrating the start of the 2019 AFI FEST presented by Audi. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson)
(Press release provided by American Film Institute: Shari Mesulam)
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that it will postpone the AFI AWARDS luncheon scheduled to take place on Friday, January 7. In response to the rising concerns over current health conditions, the organization will reschedule the much-anticipated event for a later date.
Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO
“The goal of AFI AWARDS is to bring together the creative community at a private event founded in hugs and handshakes,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “Because that goal is not achievable at this time, we will be postponing the event until we can properly celebrate the artists in a manner worthy of the gifts they have given the world.”
Timothy Chalamet and Steven Spielberg shake hands at the 2018 AFI Awards.
AFI AWARDS selections are made through AFI’s unique jury process – in which scholars, artists, critics, and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year.
AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. Additional honorees were selected in a category for “Special Awards,” designated for works of excellence that fall outside of the Institute’s criteria of American film and television.
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
tick, tick… BOOM!
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY
AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
HACKS
MAID
MARE OF EASTTOWN
RESERVATION DOGS
SCHMIGADOON!
SUCCESSION
TED LASSO
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
WANDAVISION
THE WHITE LOTUS
AFI SPECIAL AWARD
BELFAST
SQUID GAME
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Celebrating film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form and make a mark on American society. When placed in a historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.
AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, artists, critics, and scholars determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.
This year’s jury featured acclaimed artists including Lee Isaac Chung, Liz Hannah, Anjelica Huston, and Ed Zwick; renowned film historians Annette Insdorf, L.S. Kim, Akira Mizuta Lippit, Leonard Maltin, Ellen Seiter, and Robert Thompson; the AFI Board of Trustees; film critics Shawn Edwards from the African American Film Critics Association and Claudia Puig from Los Angeles Film Critics Association; and film and television critics from outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and The Washington Post. The jury was chaired by AFI Board of Trustees member Jeanine Basinger (Chair Emerita and Founder of the Film Studies Department, Wesleyan University) and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
The 2021 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy. View all past AFI AWARDS honorees here.
About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST, AFI DOCS, and a year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including the AFI Directing Workshop forWomen and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. AFI’s newest program is AFI Movie Club, a daily global engagement for those who love the movies. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.
Honorees To Be Celebrated At Private Reception On January 7, 2022
AFI’s Movie Club To Showcase Official Selections With New Content
Hosted Exclusively On AFI.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, December 8, 2021 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2021. AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. Additional honorees were selected in a category for “Special Awards,” designated for works of excellence that fall outside of the Institute’s criteria of American film and television.
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
tick, tick… BOOM!
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY
AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
HACKS
MAID
MARE OF EASTTOWN
RESERVATION DOGS
SCHMIGADOON!
SUCCESSION
TED LASSO
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
WANDAVISION
THE WHITE LOTUS
AFI SPECIAL AWARD
BELFAST
SQUID GAME
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO
“AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon the most outstanding screen stories of 2021 and those who worked collaboratively to bring them to screens large and small,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “From soaring in spirit to dark and dangerous – from heartbreaking to hilarious – these are the stories that have united us in uncertain times and continue to drive culture forward.”
Honorees will gather on January 7, 2022, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private reception at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA — an event favored by the entertainment community for its informal intimacy and its inclusive acknowledgment of excellence.
Beginning January 8, 2022, AFI’s global Movie Club program will showcase the official selections with new daily content, including videos of special guests from the honored works introducing the titles. AFI AWARDS official selections will be celebrated on AFI.com/MovieClub and across all AFI social media platforms.
Celebrating film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form and make a mark on American society. When placed in a historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.
AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, artists, critics, and scholars determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.
This year’s jury featured acclaimed artists including Lee Isaac Chung, Liz Hannah, Anjelica Huston and Ed Zwick; renowned film historians Annette Insdorf, L.S. Kim, Akira Mizuta Lippit, Leonard Maltin, Ellen Seiter, and Robert Thompson; the AFI Board of Trustees; film critics Shawn Edwards from the African American Film Critics Association and Claudia Puig from Los Angeles Film Critics Association; and film and television critics from outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and The Washington Post. The jury was chaired by AFI Board of Trustees member Jeanine Basinger (Chair Emerita and Founder of the Film Studies Department, Wesleyan University) and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
The 2021 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy. View all past AFI AWARDS honorees here.
About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST, AFI DOCS, and a year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including the AFI Directing Workshop forWomen and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. AFI’s newest program is AFI Movie Club, a daily global engagement for those who love the movies. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute
Tribute to Premiere on TNT and Encore on Turner Classic Movies
December 1, 2021
The American Film Institute announced today that the 48th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute celebrating Julie Andrews will take place June 9, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The event was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to health and safety concerns. The air date for the premiere of the Emmy® Award-winning Tribute special on TNT and encore presentations on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will be announced at a later date.
Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO
“Julie Andrews has sent spirits soaring across generations,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “This new date for her AFI Tribute enriches our anticipation to celebrate her in a manner worthy at a time the world needs it most.”
A legendary actress of both stage and screen, Andrews has enchanted and delighted audiences around the world with her uplifting and inspiring body of work. She continues to captivate viewers in front of the camera, with her remarkable wit, characteristic grace, and an incandescent and unmistakable voice all of her own — while also shining a light on humanitarian issues in her activism and philanthropic work.
A three-time Academy Award nominee, Andrews’ star turn in MARY POPPINS won her both a BAFTA and an Oscar®. From her early debut as Polly Browne in “The Boyfriend” to her critically acclaimed Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway hit “My Fair Lady” to her timeless performance as Maria von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC to her groundbreaking dual roles in the gender-bending VICTOR/VICTORIA, Andrews has proven herself an accomplished and versatile actress. Throughout an illustrious career that spans seven decades, she has won five Golden Globes, three Grammys®, and two Emmys® for projects infused with her incomparable charm and recognized for their ability to enthrall audiences worldwide. The critically lauded Andrews is also a Kennedy Center honoree, a Disney Legend inductee and the recipient of a SAG Life Achievement Award.
On stage and screen, she has delivered transcendent performances known for their elegance, artistry, and humor, with additional acting credits including “Camelot” (1960), THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964), TORN CURTAIN (1966), HAWAII (1966), THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967), STAR! (1968), 10 (1979), LITTLE MISS MARKER (1980), THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN (1983), DUET FOR ONE (1986), ENCHANTED (2007) and AQUAMAN (2018). She has also starred in multiple, successful franchises, including THE PRINCESS DIARIES 1 and 2 (2001); SHREK 2 (2004), SHREK THE THIRD (2007) and SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010); and DESPICABLE ME (2010), DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017) and the upcoming MINIONS (2022). Recently, Andrews played a sharp-tongued gossip writer in Regency London in Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix series BRIDGERTON, marking her continued evolution as an actress and icon. Andrews’ second memoir, “Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” — a follow-up to her successful 2008 New York Times Best Seller, “Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” — was released in 2019.
With today being Native-American Heritage Day, AFI Movie Club chose SMOKE SIGNALS as its pick. Smoke Signals is directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Nations.
Featuring an entirely Indigenous cast telling an authentic story from their own perspectives, Smoke Signals is a gateway work in its depiction of Native-American culture – rich in emotion and its characteristic wry, self-deprecating humor that deflects negativity in cosmic ways!
Personally, after viewing Smoke Signals, I felt a strong desire to see more Native American stories and for the development of a vibrant Native American Cinema. The 2021 Sundance Film Festival showcased the critically acclaimed WildIndian, starring Michel Greyeyes. Interestingly, Greyeyes portrays Junior Palatkin in Smoke Signals.
In 2018, the Smoke Signals was selected for preservation in the United States’National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Check it out!
Written and directed by George Tillman Jr., SOUL FOOD is a classic comedy starring Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox and Nia Long celebrating the importance of family dinners – and recognizing that they’re about more than just the meal on the table. SOUL FOOD is this year’s AFI Movie Club’s Thanksgiving Day selection.
Writer/director George Tillman, Jr. Tillman based the family in the film on his own Midwestern Chicago upbringing. Soul Food has been widely acclaimed for presenting a more positive image of African-Americans than is typically seen in Hollywood films.
Soul Food revolves around the experiences of an extended African-American family and captures its love and dysfunction through the eyes of an 11-year old boy. Soul Food was Tillman’s major studio debut.
Tracey Edmonds, an AFI Trustee Emerita, and then-husband Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds produced Soul Food and it was the inaugural film for their Edmonds Productions.
In 2000, Showtime premiered a one-hour Soul Food television series that ran for five seasons with an almost entirely fresh cast. In 2015, 20th Century Fox announced a sequel, written by Tillman, titled More Soul Food.
Stay tuned!
In the meantime, join film lovers from around the world to celebrate and discover – or rediscover – the greatest American films and storytellers of all time. As a member of AFI, you’ll enjoy access to AFI-curated films, exclusive member-only content from the AFI Archive, year-round benefits and deep discounts to all AFI festivals, and more.
Jane Campion’s latest work, The Power of the Dog, screened as part of a Red Carpet Premiere at the historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood California, during the American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021, on Thursday, November 11th. Campion is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. She is the second of seven women ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and the first female filmmaker to receive the Palme d’Or; both of these achievements came for The Piano (1993).
Harvey Keitel and Daphna Kastner – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: Rob Latour/AFI/Shutterstock
Kodi Smit-McPhee – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: John Salangsang/AFI/Shutterstock
DirectKathryn Hahn – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: John Salangsang/AFI/Shutterstock
Kirsten Dunst – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: Rob Latour/AFI/Shutterstock
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jane Campion, Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: John Salangsang/AFI/Shutterstock
Director Jane Campion – AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere Screening of THE POWER OF THE DOG, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Nov. 11, 2021 – Photo Credit: John Salangsang/AFI/Shutterstock
The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Campion, is set in 1925 Montana and circles around two well-off brothers who own an influential ranching operation. The Burbank brothers, played by Jesse Plemons and Benedict Cumberbatch, come across as polar opposites. Phil Burbank, played by Cumberbatch, is an infamous Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale University who prefers the daily grind of working the ranch with the hired hands. Cumberbatch brings a deep dark presence to the character in what might be his best performance to date. Plemmons plays Gordon Burbank, the slower, mild-mannered younger brother, embodying a ranch gentleman with grace and style. Kirsten Dunst portrays Rose Gordon, a compelling love interest as a saloon-style restaurant owner who serves dinners to the locals with her son, Peter, portrayed by Kodi Smith-McPhee in a breakout performance.
While The Power of the Dog is set in Montana, the actual film location is New Zealand – adding a surreal quality. And, Campion’s writing matches it full force. The twists and turns in the dramatic, psychological, roller-coaster ride narrative combined with Cumberbatch’s powerful, dark character portrayal set the audience on the edge of their seats and their eyes fixed on the big screen. Undoubtedly, Campion is in the mix for her second Oscar for screenwriting and appears to be in the mix for a directorial nod as well.
Q & A, on November 11th, 2021, following the screening of The Power of the Dog, inside Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre. (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
Following the screening, a fun-filled Q & A unfolded as the film’s actors, editor, cinematographer, and director sparred, cajoled, and informed under the watchful eye of moderator Hahn as she effectively marshaled the energies of The Power of the Dog conversation. The Power of the Dog, set for a December 1st, 2021, release date, is a magnificent and majestic work tantalizing and titillating – a bonafide Oscar contender for now – in multiple categories! Highly recommended. One of the year’s best films!
Sean Baker ( Tangerine, The Florida Project, Starlet) and A24’s Red Rocket, a dramedy, featuring Simon Rex, a standout media personality, Suzanna Son, and Bree Elrod, tells the tale of Mikey Saber, a washed up, 20 year veteran performer in the adult film industry who returns home for more of the same, screened last night at the 2021 AFI FEST.
Simon Rex as Mikey Saber in Sean Baker’s Red Rocket (Photo from fest.afi.com)
Red Rocket, follows Mikey Saber (played by a compelling Simon Rex), as he futilely careens in and out of harrowing situations in dark places never fully grasping the ramifications of his actions and choices. Bree Elrod as Lexi, and Suzanna Son as Strawberry, deliver riveting performances with exquisite line execution. Rex turns in a tour de force performance as Mikey Saber.
Red Rocket is Sean Baker at his best in this low, low-budget filmmaking. Providing a snapshot of Mikey and the socially marginalized characters that are in his orbit, Baker elevates Red Rocket with snappy dialogue, carefully executed camera work, and the trust he places in the audience. Captivating work from start to finish.
Interestingly, the Q & A immediately following the screening led by AFI Programming Director Sarah Harris got a little saucy. Baker and Rex took exception when an audience member, who coincidentally works in the adult film industry and performs in Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure, also screening at AFI FEST 2021, stated his displeasure hearing the audience guffawing loudly at a term thrown out by Lexi at Red Rocket’s end.
(Left to right) Sarah Harris, AFI Programming Director, Director Sean Baker, Actor Simon Rex, Actor Bree Elrod, and Actor Suzanna Son participate in a Q&A, on November 12, 2021, following the AFI FEST screening of RED ROCKET, at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGLee)
Baker shared the film had five consultants work over the script and scene work to make Red Rocket’s depiction of a former porn star as realistic as possible. Rex chimed in stating few people in the audience would recognize the industry term.
Red Rocket is Sean Baker’s strongest work to date. Not for the faint of heart. Earthy with frontal nudity. Coming to theatres December 10th. Very warmly recommended!
