The 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival will open in Hollywood, California, from April 24–27. The festival’s theme is:
GRAND ILLUSIONS: FANTASTIC WORLDS ON FILM
The festival will include films such as:
GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER’S JOURNEY (1984)
George Stevens, Jr., produced and narrates this look at his father’s life and work. It includes interviews with Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Hermes Pan, Frank Capra, John Huston, Alan J. Pakula and Fred Astaire, and features previously unreleased footage of Stevens’ cinematic efforts during World War II; found only after his death, this footage is the only full-color film ever shot during the war. Stevens will be bestowed with this year’s Robert J. Osborne Award, given annually at the TCM Classic Film Festival honoring those who preserve classic film. The award is named after Robert Osborne, a longtime host of Turner Classic Movies.
Car Wash (1976)
A groundbreaking comedy directed by 2025 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL HONOREE, Michael Schultz, that follows a day in the lives of a group of employees at a Los Angeles car wash played by a “who’s who” cast of notable entertainers including Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Franklyn Ajaye, and The Pointer Sisters.
Beau Geste (1926)
A silent adventure drama starring Ronald Colman as a man who joins the French Foreign Legion . World premiere restoration presented with live accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
Ben-Hur (1959)
An epic starring Charlton Heston as a Jewish prince, Judah Ben-Hur, who is betrayed and enslaved by a Roman friend. World premiere restoration.
The Big Combo (1955)
A film noir starring Cornel Wilde as a police detective determined to take down a crime boss. World premiere 4K Ignite Films restoration created by the UCLA Film and Television Archives with funding from the Film Foundation.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction epic about humanity’s evolution and the mysteries of space and time.
Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas
To Attend TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night
Screening of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
New Stars and Programming Revealed For April Event
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) today announced actors Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas will appear at the 40th-anniversary screening of the beloved family sci-fi film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial during the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. They will join director Steven Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy on the red carpet during Opening Night of the Festival, held in Hollywood April 21 – 24, 2022
Henry Thomas played Elliott, the young boy who befriends an extra-terrestrial, “E.T.,” who is accidentally left behind on Earth. Elliott, along with his sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and their brother Michael, attempts to help his new friend contact his home planet to be rescued, while eluding scientists and government agents determined to apprehend the alien for their own purposes.
In keeping with this year’s festival theme “All Together Now: Back to the Big Screen,” director MichaelSchultz and stars Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris, and Steven Williams will introduce their seminal coming-of-age dramedy Cooley High(1975), about a group of teens in Chicago preparing for life after high school. In addition, stars Kevin Bacon, Paul Reiser, Steve Guttenberg and Tim Daly will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Diner (1982).
Additional talent set to appear during the TCM Classic Film Festival include:
Writer-director-actor Warren Beatty for the film Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Stars Lori Petty, Anne Ramsay, Ann Cusack, Megan Cavanagh, and Jon Lovitz to celebrate the 30th anniversary of A League of Their Own(1992)
Actress Pam Grier for the iconic blaxploitation film Coffy(1973)
Actress Jane Seymour for the film Somewhere in Time (1980)
Singer-dancer-choreographer Paula Abdul for the 70th anniversary screening of Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Her mentor and friend Gene Kelly inspired her to become a dancer.
Actress Aileen Quinn for the 40th anniversary of the film Annie (1982)
Actress Margaret O’Brien, who played Beth in Little Women (1949)
Writer David S. Ward and producers Michael Phillips and Tony Bill will discuss their Academy Award®-winning caper film The Sting (1973)
Actor Keith Carradine, a huge fan of James Cagney, for the film Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Actor Topher Grace for the 40th anniversary poolside screening ofFast Times at RidgemontHigh (1982)
TCM recently updated the health protocols and safety measures for the event. Get the latest guidelines here.
About the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival
Movie lovers from around the globe will descend upon Hollywood for the 13th edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The 2022 Festival is set to take place Thursday, April 21 – Sunday, April 24, 2022. Over four packed days and nights, attendees will be treated to an extensive lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions, special events and more.
TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The Festival’s official hotel and central gathering point will be The HollywoodRoosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for Festival attendees. Screenings and events during the Festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the HollywoodLegion Theater at Post 43, and the El Capitan Theatre. For the latest news and information, follow us on social at #TCMFF.
This year’s theme is “All Together Now: Back to the Big Screen.” In 2022, reunite with fellow fans, the movies, the memories, the stars, and the glamour. It’s all back live and in person, just as it should be and where it all began in Hollywood. From high school reunions to homecomings, TCM will celebrate milestones from the past as we look forward to making new memories together.
Larry Gleeson stands in front of TCM Memories Exhibit at the Chinese Mann Theatres (Photo cr. HollywoodGlee)
Larry Gleeson, left, with Hollywood starlet, Angie Dickinson. (Photo credit: HollywoodGlee)
