Today at 2:00 P.M, Pedro Almodavar’s PARALLEL MOTHERS, starring Penelope Cruz, is making an afternoon Red Carpet Premiere at the historic Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood, Calif. Visit fest.afi.com for more information including ticketing.
Pedro Almodovar’s PARALLEL MOTHERS, starring Penelope Cruz, is slated for an AFI FEST Red Carpet Premiere, today, November 13th, 2021, 2:00 P.M., at the historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo from fest.afi.com)
UPDATE: There will be apost-screening conversationwithPedro Almodóvar(Director) moderated by film criticAlonso Duralde.
PARALLEL MOTHERS, follows two women Janis and Ana – both single mothers – from the moment they give birth to two daughters. Janis is thrilled by her accidental pregnancy, seeing it as perhaps her last chance at motherhood, while the adolescent Ana is scared and traumatized by the ordeal.
According to AFI Movie Club, Almodovar has been percolating the idea since 1999, when he first pitched it to Penelope Cruz while she was working on Almodvar’s ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER. This is the eighth collaboration between the Spanish duo. In addition, PARALLEL MOTHERS marks the 13th collaboration between Sony Pictures Classics and the production company El Deseo, which Almodovar operates with his brother Augustin Almodovar.
Jane Campion’s latest film, The Power of the Dog, with Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee present, lit up the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard last night with an AFI FEST 2021 Red Carpet Premiere.
Once inside the hallowed Hollywood landmark, AFI President Bob Gazzale welcomed the audience before eloquently introducing the film and Director Jane Campion to loud cheers and hearty rounds of applause. Following the film’s screening a conversation moderated by Hollywood’s delightful Kathryn Hahn entertained the house.
The Power of the Dog, a semi-dark psychological drama, is a magnificent and majestic work tantalizing and titillating – a bonafied Oscar contender in multiple categories.
The evening embodied a new peak for film festival entertainment as post-screening 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.
Kirsten Dunst, Red Carpet Premiere Screening of ‘The Power of the Dog’, Intro and Q and A, AFI FEST, TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA – 11 Nov 2021Kodi 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
The AFI FEST continues through November 14th, offering the best in global cinema.
Tickets Are Still Available for Select In-person Screenings Tomorrow! Check out these selections for your viewing.
It’s a great day at the AFI FEST 2021 in Hollywood, California!
Through November 14th, AFI FEST 2021 is offering the best in global cinema. Tickets are available for select screenings.
Here are a few recommendations for today.
Powerful, provocative and deeply moving: Bernstein’s Wall tells the life story of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story). Utilizing Bernstein’s own words, harvested from his many recorded appearances on the radio, television and in-person interviews, offering a strikingly intimate perspective, Bernstein’s Wall sceens today at 3:15 P.M. today with a runtime of 106 minutes. A music-lover’s dream come true!
BUY TICKETSUNCLENCHING THE FISTS (RAZZHIMAYA KULAKI) a World Cinema entry is also the Russia Official International Feature Film Oscar Submission. Recipient of the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival, Russian newcomer Kira Kovalenko delivers a raw, visceral experience, and the film is filled with harshly beautiful performances and is uniquely told from a woman’s perspective. Highly recommended!
BUY TICKETS Director/Filmmaker provocateur Sean Baker (Tangerine,Florida Project) is back with another raw, slice of life feature, Red Rocket. The narrative follows Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) as he tries to put his life back together in oil refinery hometown of Texas City after spending 20 years of his life working in the porn industry. Plenty of action and a little frontal nudity as Baker once again proves he is a storyteller to be reckoned with.
“My favorite film at the Telluride Film Festival.” – Sam Stromberg
Media personality, Simon Rex, delivers a captivating performance as Mikey Saber, in Sean Baker’s latest film on the socially marginalized, Red Rocket.
BUY TICKETSAli & Ava. Ali and Ava each live lonely lives in North Britain. Ali, a British Pakistani, is a former DJ turned compassionate landlord who meets Ava, an Irish-born schoolteacher and single mother of five, while picking up one of his tenant’s children from school. Despite their differences, sparks start to fly. As Ali and Ava’s relationship grows deeper, the shadows of their emotional turmoil and society’s expectations of them build as well. Can they find a way to keep their love alive?
BUY TICKETSHuda’s Salon centers on the complex friction in the West Bank between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation. Reem, mother of a newborn baby and wife to a distrusting husband, gets her hair cut at Huda’s Salon one fateful day. There, Huda blackmails Reem into betraying their Palestinian community by providing intel to the Israeli Secret Service. The very next day Huda is found out by the resistance and Reem’s blackmail photo is discovered.
“Huda’s Salon reveals with disturbing candor the plight of Palestinian women striving to survive while being trapped on all sides.” –Julia Kipnis
The Shorts Program 1 comes with an “In-person Q&A” to following the screenings. Check out the line-up here: ZONDER MEERMISERY LOVES COMPANYNALUJUK NIGHTTHE DEATH CLEANER (EL LIMPIADOR)LOVE, DAD (MILÝ TATI)BABYBANGZA SUMMER PLACE The Shorts Program 1 is also available virtually. Following the virtual program, AFI Festivals Shorts Programmer Eric Mooreleads a conversation between filmmakers Louise Monlaü (THE DEATH CLEANER), Diana Cam Van Nguyen (LOVE, DAD), Juliana Kasumu (BABYBANGZ), Alexandra Matheou (A SUMMER PLACE).
AFI FEST 2021 kicks off tonight with AFI FEST’s return to the theaters with the Red Carpet Premiere of tick, tick…BOOM! directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Bob Gazzale, AFI President
“AFI was created to fulfill a need, and that need seems to change every year, certainly during a global pandemic,” Gazzale says. “And what we determined early was that the goal of AFI this year was to manifest what we learned during the pandemic: that experiencing life with others is a joy. To laugh together, to experience a jump scare, to experience a story well told has always proven a tonic for dark times.”
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of “Rent.”
Jon is a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have?
There will be a post-screening conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda (Director), Andrew Garfield (Actor), Robin De Jesus (Actor), Alexandra Shipp (Actor) and Steven Levenson (Screenwriter) moderated by filmmaker Rian Johnson.
More films playing this week at AFI FEST:
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Academy Award® winner Jane Campion crafts an enthralling psychological drama set in the American West starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a brutally beguiling rancher. Jane Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and more in attendance for post-screening conversation. Screening in person Thursday, November 11, 7:30 p.m. One of HollywoodGlee’s Select Pics! The performances led by Cumberbatch and strongly supported by Plemons and Dunst make this a “don’t miss” film.
UPDATE: There will be a post-screening conversation with Jane Campion (Director), Benedict Cumberbatch (Actor), Kirsten Dunst (Actor), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Actor), Ari Wegner (Cinematographer), Peter Sciberras (Editor), and moderated by recently announced actress and comedian, Kathryn Hahn.
Deeply seeded carnal desires bubble to the surface and topple over in this cathartic narrative which fuses the darkly morbid with the sublimely feminine. Director Anita Rocha da Silveira (KILL ME PLEASE) returns to AFI FEST with this modern horror-satire that fiercely critiques evangelical fanaticism in a Brazil. Screening in person Saturday, November 13 at 8:30 p.m.
This powerful documentary follows Dr. Pat Scannon and a team of professionals, volunteers and other veterans searching for those left behind in forgotten battles. Screening in person Thursday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m. and virtually beginning November 12.
A ghost struck with memory loss makes an ephemeral friendship with Arthur, a human, and learns patience in its journey to the afterlife…It’s the ghost story that ghosts deserve to have. Screening as part of Shorts Program 2. Screening virtually beginning November 11 and in person November 12 at 6:00 p.m.
During WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees are sent to a secret POW camp near Washington, DC – and soon discover that the prisoners are Hitler’s top scientists. Join us for these compelling – and true – stories as part of the Meet The Press Film Festival at AFI FEST. Post-screening conversation moderated by NBC News journalists. Screening virtually beginning November 11 and in person Thursday, November 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, this powerful documentary is an essential deep dive into a divided nation’s history and the ongoing racial reckoning of our times. Join us for a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers and the ACLU’s Jeffery Robinson, moderated by Variety’s Clayton Davis. Screening in person Thursday, November 11 at 6:00 p.m.
The completeAFIFESTprogram includes 115 titles (48 Features, 1 Episodic, 49 Short Films and 17 Conservatory Showcase Shorts) of which 51% are directed by women, 40% directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 13% are directed by LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. This year’s program represents 50 countries and includes six World.
Final preparations were taking place bright and early this morning at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., as the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 2021 AFI FEST, Nov.10-14th, is slated to open tonight with the World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! starring Andrew Garfield.
The American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021 Production Crew begin preparations at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10th, 2021, for tonight’s Opening Night World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
The American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021 Production Crew begin preparations at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10th, 2021, for tonight’s Opening Night World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
The American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021 Production Crew begin preparations at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10th, 2021, for tonight’s Opening Night World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
The American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021 Production Crew begin preparations at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10th, 2021, for tonight’s Opening Night World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
On Thursday, the Red Carpet Premieres continue with a sizzling POWER OF THE DOG directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. The performances led by Cumberbatch and strongly supported by Plemons and Dunst make this a “don’t miss” film. Campion is a front runner for her second screenwriting Oscar and may well make it a twofer ala Chloe Zhao with Nomadland – Writing and Directing!
More to come as the best in global cinema is about to get underway! Stay tuned…
The American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2021 Production Crew begin preparations at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10th, 2021, for tonight’s Opening Night World Premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
Tickets to in-person and virtual screenings are available on FEST.AFI.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Los Angeles, CA, November 8, 2021 — The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the sponsors and cultural supporters for AFI FEST 2021, which will take place November 10-14. This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events in Los Angeles, CA, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists. Visit FEST.AFI.com to view this year’s lineup.
Apple Original Films and AT&T return as the festival’s Premium Sponsors. AT&T continues its commitment to filmmakers and will be hosting a virtual workshop for all festival filmmakers titled “Making the Untold Told: A Look into AT&T Presents: Untold Stories.” AT&T Presents: Untold Stories is in its fifth year of bringing the work of emerging voices to audiences, with a $1 Million production prize, distribution on HBO Max and guaranteed festival premiere. Learn more here about the workshop at AFI FEST, which will include tips on creating the best applications and guidance on crafting the most compelling pitch.
Festival Sponsors include IMDb, National Geographic Documentary Films, and Netflix. IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world’s most popular and trusted source for movie, TV, and celebrity content, is committed to celebrating content that reflects its diverse global audience. IMDb invites festival attendees to rate and review AFI FEST titles to help entertainment fans make informed viewing choices and discover new stories and storytellers. Festival attendees can visit https://www.imdb.com/festival-central/afi/ to learn more. New this year, Netflix is bringing their Netflix Queue content to the AFI FEST Festival Hub where audiences can view interviews, photos and other additional content from BRUISED, THE POWER OF THE DOG and tick, tick…BOOM! The additional content can be viewed https://fest.afi.com/netflix-queue/.
Los Angeles Times is back as the festival’s Primary Media Partner and the Red Carpet Premieres Media Partner.
Meet the Press is an Official Media Partner and will present the Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI FEST. The short documentary film festival will take place as part of AFI FEST with in-person screenings in Los Angeles, along with virtual screenings online. The Meet the Press Film Festival celebrates five years of showcasing the best issue-based documentary shorts that shed light on the most consequential issues of our time. This unique platform connects filmmakers, subjects, audiences and NBC News through film and documentary storytelling. NBC News correspondents and anchors, including Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, Jacob Soboroff, Shaq Brewster, Ali Vitali and Morgan Radford, will moderate thought-provoking conversations with filmmakers following each program for both virtual and in-person audiences.
Additional Official Media Sponsors include Variety, who will have Clayton Davis, Film Awards Editor, moderate post-screening discussions with the filmmakers for JOCKEY and WHO WE ARE; The Hollywood Reporter, who will be presenting the AFI FEST 2021 Indie Contender Roundtable hosted by columnist Scott Feinberg; and The Wall Street Journal.
Affiliate Media Partners include Deadline, IndieWire, LA Confidential, MovieMaker Magazine, and The Wrap.
Hollywood & Highland and TCL Chinese Theatre return as Official Sponsors.
Contributing Sponsors include Dell Technologies, Eventive, Panavision, Quixote and Simple DCP. Sustaining Sponsors include Film Freeway, National Endowment for the Arts and US Banks.
Festival underwriters, whose generous philanthropy supports the festival, include Scott Patterson, Anne Dougherty and David Dobrikin, Mike Gonzalez and Joseph Kaufman.
This year’s Cultural Sponsors include ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), the Farhang Foundation, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Los Angeles, SAGindie, Villa Albertine, the Consulate General of Switzerland and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic.
Previously announced
tick, tick…Boom!
AFI FEST 2021 takes place from November 10 – 14, 2021 in Los Angeles. The World Premiere of tick, tick…BOOM! directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will open the festival and KING RICHARD directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green will close the festival. Additional Red Carpet Premieres include the World Premieres of Academy Award® winner Halle Berry’s directorial debut BRUISED, Academy Award® winner Benjamin Cleary’s feature directorial debut SWAN SONG, SING 2 directed by Garth Jennings, PARALLEL MOTHERS directed by Academy Award® winner Pedro Almodóvar and THE POWER OF THE DOG directed by Academy Award® winner Jane Campion. The full program can be found here.
With health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.
Passes and individual tickets to AFI FEST 2021 are currently available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.
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 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 35th 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 in-person and online November 10-14, 2021. The festival includes Special Presentations of 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.
From strong female leads to international award winners, from short films to sports films, from avant-garde to “on the road” films, there is something for everyone at AFI FEST 2021. Join us at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood and virtually to celebrate the best in global cinema.
Check out these great films screening this week at AFI FEST:
LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS
Acclaimed director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun returns to AFI FEST with a powerful and vivid story of two women on a journey together, navigating the complex and fragile fabric of female support within a patriarchal society. Screening in person Thursday, November 11 at 7:15 p.m.
Stepping away from his usual genre fare, director Jacques Audiard, along with script collaborators Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, brings to life the sprawling dreams of desire and human connection in the city of love. Screening virtually beginning November 11 and in person Thursday, November 11 at 8:15 p.m.
A film class for eight women becomes the catalyst for deeper discovery as they confront the issues of modern-day Israel and Palestine and bond over their shared experience. Complex as it is powerful, CINEMA SABAYA shines a light on how unifying art can be, even in the most contentious of situations. Screening in person Friday, November 12 at 3:30 p.m.
On the hospital frontlines with doctors, nurses, patients and hopeful families, Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman takes a poignant look at the unforeseen turmoil of the pandemic. Heineman, producers Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville and cast from the documentary will be in attendance. Screening virtually beginning November 12 and in person Friday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m.
In this taut drama from director Kaltrina Krasniqi, sign language interpreter Vera (Teuta Ajdini) must summon untapped strength when her inheritance is challenged by a male in-law in deeply patriarchal Kosovo. Screening virtually beginning November 13 and in person Saturday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m.
In the World Premiere of this new chapter, ever-optimistic Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage show yet …There’s just one hitch: they first have to persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star—played by global music icon and Academy Award® nominee Bono—to join them. Screening in person on Sunday, November 14 at 2:00 p.m.
Pride comes in many forms. And there’s a lot to be proud of with AFI FEST films exploring people along the queer spectrum! The AFI FEST 2021 lineup has no shortage of incredible films that are sure to pique interest. These films touch on history and activism, uncovering fascinating and inspiring stories alongside personal and emotional ones, celebrating unsung personalities and shedding light on beautiful subcultures. See stories in the concert hall, in the Puerto Rican jungle, a German prison, a small Italian apartment, and the many other places explored within this section. This diverse collection of features and shorts is a veritable rainbow of offerings that are not to be missed.
BERNSTEIN’S WALL
For the better part of the 20th century, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was a household name due to his music in WEST SIDE STORY (for which he won an Academy Award®), his role as Musical Director of the New York Philharmonic and his work on television making classical music accessible to the general public. This documentary follows the life of this extraordinary first-generation son of Ukrainian-Jewish parents, from his early life in New England, to the many “firsts” he claimed during his early orchestral career and his constant advocacy of worthy causes. The narration uses Bernstein’s own words, harvested from his many recorded appearances on the radio, television and in-person interviews, which offers a strikingly intimate perspective. Learn more about the film.
The coded advertisements of legendary early-20th century gay illustrator J.C. Leyendecker quietly, but directly, acknowledged a community that was forced to live in the closet. Screens as part of Meet The Press Shorts 1. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
COMPARTMENT NO. 6
Finland Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission
A young Finnish woman escapes an enigmatic love affair in Moscow by boarding a train to the arctic port of Murmansk. Forced to share the long ride and a tiny sleeping car with a larger-than-life Russian miner, the unexpected encounter leads the occupants of Compartment No. 6 to face major truths about human connection. COMPARTMENT NO. 6 shared the Grand Prix award at Cannes in 2021 and has been selected as Finland’s official entry for the 94th Academy Awards®. Learn more about the film.
A warehouse worker at a fast fashion company forms an attachment to a piece of damaged inventory. Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM 2. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
GREAT FREEDOM
Austria Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the Queer Palm, Franz Rogowski [who starred in the AFI FEST films HAPPY END (2017) and I WAS AT HOME, BUT…(2019)] captivates as the lovesick Hans in Sebastian Meise’s second narrative feature 10 years following his debut (STILL LIFE). Incessantly imprisoned for breaking Germany’s “Paragraph 175” – a law that makes homosexuality a crime – Hans’ life unfolds in postwar Germany over three periods of time and with three distinct relationships. He has a brief but passionate connection with Leo, a soft-spoken schoolteacher, and a longer, more serious romance with Oskar. But Hans’ most complex and profound relationship is with Viktor, his homophobic cellmate, who after 20 years grows to be his closest confidante. Learn more about the film.
After not being invited to her sister’s wedding, Aya, a transwoman, shows up by surprise on a Shabbat night at the Orthodox Jewish community where her family lives. Screens as part of Shorts Program 2. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT
Adapted from Adrian Tomine’s acclaimed graphic novel, PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT weaves a breezy tapestry of modern love stories. Beautifully realized in crisp black-and-white cinematography, the electrifying, multicultural 13th arrondissement sets the stage for a panoramic tale of four young lovers. Lucie Zhang delivers a breakout performance as free-spirited Émilie, who begins a casual relationship with new roommate Camille (Makita Samba). Noémie Merlant (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE) plays wide-eyed student Nora, whose new life in Paris is complicated when she is accidentally mistaken for cam girl Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth). Stepping away from his usual genre fare, Jacques Audiard, along with script collaborators Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, brings to life the sprawling dreams of desire and human connection in the city of love. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
PLAYTIME
North American Premiere
A mother wants to play with her son. A boy wants to find out what his friend is giving a girl. A cat has disappeared. But these are only games. Screens as part of Shorts Program 5. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
PRIDE
An aspiring writer finalizes stories for “Pride,” a student-run newspaper. Over a hectic two days in the early 1990s, she puts the finishing touches on the upcoming issue. Screens as part of Shorts Program 4. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
A SUMMER PLACE
On the day of Tina’s birthday, she is ready to give up on everything until an extraordinary encounter changes her life. Screens as part of Shorts Program 1. Learn more about the film.
Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)
tick, tick…BOOM!
Opening Night / World Premiere
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of “Rent.”
Jon is a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have? Learn more about the film.
The road of life can be difficult as Link, an indigenous Mi’kmaw teen, certainly knows. Fortunately, he has his younger half-brother, Travis, by his side. When their abusive father is discovered to be hiding an unimaginable secret about Link’s long-lost mother, the brothers begin a challenging and revelatory. Following the breadcrumbs of information along the way, the brothers begin a journey in search of her. During their quest, they are joined by Pasmay, also two-spirit and Mi’kmaw, known in the community for his dancing. Link soon discovers that Pasmay’s kindness and generosity are infectious. What starts as a bleak story of despair for Link, turns into a charming trek of self-discovery and young love. Writer/director Bretten Hannam’s second feature is overflowing with visual and emotional beauty. Learn more about the film.
With health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated. Learn more about AFI’s annual film festival celebrating the best in global cinema at FEST.AFI.com.
Individual tickets and passes to AFI FEST 2021 are currently available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2021 — Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced that the World Premiere of Illumination’s SING 2, the new animated feature film written and directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Janet Healy, will join AFI FEST 2021 as a Red Carpet Premiere. The film, in theaters December 22, will screen in-person at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on Sunday, November 14.
ABOUT SING 2
In the new chapter from Illumination’s film franchise, ever-optimistic Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage show yet …all in the glamorous entertainment capital of the world, Redshore City. There’s just one hitch: They first have to persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star—played by global music icon and Academy Award® nominee Bono—to join them.
With more than 40 contemporary and classic hit songs, electrifying performances and breathtaking artistry, SING 2serves as an emotional reminder about the importance of dreaming big and the power of music to heal.
SING 2features all of the characters audiences fell in love with in the first film (voiced by Academy Award® winners Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award® nominee Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll and Garth Jennings), plus new characters played by music superstars Academy Award® nominee Pharrell Williams and Halsey, actors Bobby Cannavale and Letitia Wright, and comedians Eric André and Chelsea Peretti.
More on AFI FEST 2021
AFI FEST 2021 takes place from November 10 – 14, 2021 in Los Angeles. The World Premiere of tick, tick…BOOM! directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will open the festival and KING RICHARD directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green will close the festival. Additional Red Carpet Premieres include the World Premieres of Academy Award® winner Halle Berry’s directorial debut BRUISED and Academy Award® winner Benjamin Cleary’s feature directorial debut SWAN SONG, PARALLEL MOTHERS, directed by Academy Award® winner Pedro Almodóvar and THE POWER OF THE DOG, directed by Academy Award® winner Jane Campion. The full program can be found here.
This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists.
With health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.
Top Sponsors for AFI FEST 2021 include AT&T, Apple Original Films, National Geographic Documentary Films and Dell.
Passes to AFI FEST 2021 and individual tickets are currently available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.
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 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 35th 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 in-person and online November 10-14, 2021. The festival includes Special Presentations of 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.
To Screen at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 11
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, October 19, 2021 —Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced that critically acclaimed THE POWER OF THE DOG, written and directed by Academy Award® winner Jane Campion, has been added to the AFI FEST 2021 lineup. Honors for the film include Campion receiving the Silver Lion Award at Venice Film Festival for directing. The film stars Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Frances Conroy, Thomasin McKenzie, Geneviève Lemon and Academy Award® winner Keith Carradine. A See-Saw Films, Bad Girl Creek and Max Films production in association with Brightstar, The New Zealand Film Commission, Cross City Films and BBC Film, THE POWER OF THE DOG is produced by Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier. The film will be released in theaters on November 17 and on Netflix December 3.
About THE POWER OF THE DOG
Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil’s romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past and in the land: He can castrate a bull calf with two swift slashes of his knife; he swims naked in the river, smearing his body with mud. He is a cowboy as raw as his hides. The year is 1925. The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers in Montana. At the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose, the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable son Peter. Phil behaves so cruelly he drives them both to tears, reveling in their hurt and rousing his fellow cowhands to laughter – all except his brother George, who comforts Rose then returns to marry her. As Phil swings between fury and cunning, his taunting of Rose takes an eerie form – he hovers at the edges of her vision, whistling a tune she can no longer play. His mockery of her son is more overt, amplified by the cheering of Phil’s cowhand disciples. Then Phil appears to take the boy under his wing. Is this latest gesture a softening that leaves Phil exposed, or a plot twisting further into menace?
Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a dark and deep presence as Phil Burbank in Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG. (Photo credit: Kristy Griffin/Netflix 2021
AFI FEST 2021 takes place from November 10 – 14, 2021 in Los Angeles. The World Premiere of tick, tick…BOOM! directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will open the festival and KING RICHARD directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green will close the festival. Additional Red Carpet Premieres include the World Premieres of Academy Award® winner Halle Berry’s directorial debut BRUISED and Academy Award® winner Benjamin Cleary’s feature directorial debut SWAN SONG, and PARALLEL MOTHERS, directed by Academy Award® winner Pedro Almodóvar. The full program can be found here.
This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists.
With health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.
Top Sponsors for AFI FEST 2021 include AT&T, Apple Original Films, National Geographic Documentary Films and Dell.
Passes to AFI FEST 2021 are currently available on FEST.AFI.com and individual tickets will be available to members on October 19 and the general public on October 20. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.
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 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 35th 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 in-person and online November 10-14, 2021. The festival includes Special Presentations of 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.
***Featured photo: Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank in THE POWER OF THE DOG. Credit Kristy Griffin/Netflix 2021.
Pedro Almodovar’s PARALLEL MOTHERS, starring Penelope Cruz, is slated for an AFI FEST Red Carpet Premiere, today, November 13th, 2021, 2:00 P.M., at the historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo from fest.afi.com)
