AFI FEST

 A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, distributed by A24, will have its World Premiere on Thursday, November 6, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2014.  The film is written and directed by Academy Award® nominee J.C. Chandor and stars Oscar Isaac, Academy Award® nominees Jessica Chastain and Albert Brooks as well as David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Elyes Gabel and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Set in 1981, during one of the most crime-ridden winters in New York City’s history, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR follows the lives of Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac and Chastain) as they attempt to capitalize on the American Dream, while the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.

”J.C. Chandor has put together a remarkable crime drama, which is also an immersive period piece and morality tale that resonates on an emotional level.  Chandor is a talented director who takes risks with every film that he makes and A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is no exception.  It is a great film with which to open the festival and begin the audience’s eight-day journey through a landscape of extraordinary contemporary cinema,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director, AFI FEST.

AFI FEST will take place November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, California, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  

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The 28th edition of AFI FEST will take place November 6 through 13, 2014, in Hollywood, California.  The film festival is the only one of its stature that is free to the public, and is the only festival in North America with a market partner, the AFM (American Film Market). 

Submissions are now open and filmmakers are invited to submit narrative, documentary, experimental, animated and short films 

Filmmakers are invited to submit at AFI.com/AFIFEST.

This year AFI FEST will have two deadlines – early and final submission dates for both short films (under 30 minutes) and feature films.
June 27 – the early submission deadline for both features and shorts;
August 8 – the final submission deadline for both features and shorts. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards^®.

The 2013 festival opened with the North American Premiere of SAVING MR. BANKS, closed with INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and featured the World Premieres of LONE SURVIVOR and OUT OF THE FURNACE. Tributes to David O. Russell and Bruce Dern, and conversations on the craft of directing, with Steve McQueen, and acting, with Annette Bening, rounded out the programming. Guests at the festival included George Clooney, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Steve Coogan, Idris Elba, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hanks, Woody Harrelson, Oscar Isaac, Spize Jonze, Errol Morris, Alexander Payne, Zoe Saldana, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Mark Wahlberg, Forest Whitaker and Kristen Wiig.

image: via Facebook

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THE ROCKET

AFI FEST 2013 announced the features and short films receiving this year’s Audience and Jury Awards.  THE ROCKET, an Australian film; THE SELFISH GIANT, made in the UK; WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, an American independent film directed by Zeke Hawkins (AFI Class of 2009) and Simon Hawkins; and B FOR BOY, a Nigerian film, received Audience Awards.  Grand Jury Awards were presented to BUTTER LAMP, in the Live Action Short category, and THE PLACES WHERE WE LIVED, in the Animated Short category.  Special Jury Award winners were BALCONY and SYNDROMEDA.

COMPLETE LIST OF AWARD WINNERS

NEW AUTEURS CRITIC’S AWARD

NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN

New Auteurs Critic’s Award:  NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN. “The true story of a homeless Christian teenager adopted by an abusive family who tests his ability to turn the other cheek.  Many, many bad things happen.  But the blessing is discovering first-time filmmaker Katrin Gebbe and her incredible ensemble who have braved their own tests – boos and walkouts, nothing too bloody – in order to bring us this powerful movie and faith and sacrifice.”

New Auteur Special Award for Personal Storytelling: IN BLOOM.  The jury wanted to give a Special Award for Personal Storytelling for IN BLOOM.  This film, in its intimate exploration of the lives of two teenage girls in the former Soviet state of Georgia just after the fall of the USSR, is an exemplar of personal history as political history, or fiction filmmaking infused with and bolstered by the truth.

SELFISH GIANT

New Auteur Special Award for Direction:  SELFISH GIANT.  The jury has also selected a Special Award for Direction to Clio Barnard, whose film THE SELFISH GIANT underscores the promise of the New Auteurs category.  Drawing stunning performances from her two young leads, Barnard brings the specificity of a Bradford housing estate to a devastating and universally relatable fable. 

GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST Grand Jury Award winners in the Live Action and Animated Shorts categories as qualifiers for the annual Academy Awards Short Film category.  The Shorts jury featured Alejandro De Leon (producer), Kitao Sakurai (filmmaker), Jordan Vogt-Roberts (filmmaker) and Heidi Zwicker (shorts programmer).

Grand Jury Award, Live Action Short:  BUTTER LAMP.  DIR Hu Wei.  France, Tibet.

Grand Jury Award, Animated Short:  THE PLACES WHERE WE LIVED.  DIR Bernardo Britto.  USA.

Special Jury Award:  BALCONY.  DIR Lendita Zeqiraj.  Kosov.

Special Jury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Direction:SYNDROMEDA.  DIR Patrik Eklund.  Sweden.

Special Jury Mention for Best Datamosh: DATAMOSH.  DIR Yung Jake.  USA.

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Awards, World Cinema: THE ROCKET.    DIR Kim Mordaunt.  Australia.

Audience Award, New Auteurs: THE SELFISH GIANT.  DIR Clio Barnard.  UK.

WE GOTTA GET OUTTA THIS PLACE

Audience Award, American Independents: WE GOTTA GET OUTTA THIS PLACE.  DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins.  USA. 

B FOR BOY.

Audience Award, Breakthrough: B FOR BOY.  DIR Chika Anadu.  Nigeria.

 

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WE ARE THE BEST directed by Lukas Moodysson.

AFI FEST announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, American Independents, Breakthrough, Midnight, Cinema’s Legacy and Presentations programs. This year’s program includes CLOSED CURTAIN directed by Jafar Panahi; MOEBIUS directed by Kim Ki-duk; OUR SUNHI directed by Hong Sang-soo; TOM AT THE FARM directed by Xavier Dolan and WE ARE THE BEST directed by Lukas Moodysson.

WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (32 titles)

This section presents new work by many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers.

BABY BLUES – DIR/SCR Kasia Rosłaniec. Poland.

BETHLEHEM – DIR Yuval Adler. SCR Yuval Adler, Ali Waked. Isarel.

BORGMAN – DIR/SCR Alex van Warmerdam. Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark.

CHILD’S POSE – DIR Călin Peter Netzer. SCR Răzvan Rădulescu, Călin Peter Netzer. Romania.

CLOSED CURTAIN – DIR Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi. SCR Jafar Panahi. Iran.

THE CONGRESS – DIR/SCR Ari Folman. Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg.

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN IRON PICKER – DIR/SCR Danis Tanovic. Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia.

EXHIBITION – DIR/SCR Joanna Hogg. United Kingdom.

GABRIELLE – DIR/SCR Louise Archambault. Canada.

GLORIA – DIR Sebastián Lelio. SCR Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza. Chile, Spain.

GRAND CENTRAL – DIR Rebecca Zlotowski. SCR Gaëlle Mace, Rebecca Zlotowski. France, Austria.

THE GREAT BEAUTY – DIR Paolo Sorrentino. SCR Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello. Italy, France.

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN – DIR/SCR Biyi Bandele. Nigeria, United Kingdom.

HELI – DIR Amat Escalante. SCR Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes. Mexico, France, Germany, Netherlands.

JUVENILE OFFENDER – DIR Kang Yi-kwan. SCR Kang Yi-kwan, Park Joo-young. South Korea.

LA JAULA DE ORO – DIR Diego Quemada-Diez. SCR Diego Quemada-Diez, Gibrán Portela, Lucía Carrera. Mexico, Spain.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON – DIR/SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. Japan.

THE LUNCHBOX – DIR/SCR Ritesh Batra. India, France, Germany.

MANAKAMANA – DIR Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez. Nepal, USA.

MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN – DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. Iran.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – DIR Thomas Imbach. SCR Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka, Eduard Habsburg. Switzerland, France.

THE MISSING PICTURE – DIR Rithy Panh. SCR Christophe Bataille. Cambodia, France.

MOEBIUS – DIR/SCR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea.

OMAR – DIR/SCR Hany Abu-Assad. Palestine.

OUR SUNHI – DIR/SCR Hong Sang-soo. South Korea.

THE ROCKET – DIR/SCR Kim Mordaunt. Australia.

STRANGER BY THE LAKE – DIR/SCR Alain Guiraudie. France.

TOM AT THE FARM – DIR Xavier Dolan. SCR Xavier Dolan, Michel Marc Bouchard. Canada, France.

VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR – DIR/SCR Denis Côté. Canada.

WE ARE THE BEST! – DIR/SCR Lukas Moodysson. Sweden.

WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM – DIR/SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. Romania, France.

THE WIND RISES – DIR/SCR Hayao Miyazaki. Japan.

AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS SELECTIONS (6 titles)

The American Independents section features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers.

AWFUL NICE – DIR Todd Sklar. SCR Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie. USA.

BLUE RUIN – DIR/SCR Jeremy Saulnier. USA.

BREATHE IN – DIR Drake Doremus. SCR Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones. USA.

CAUCUS – DIR AJ Schnack. USA.

CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO – DIR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Karlyn Michelson. SCR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory. USA.

WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE – DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins. SCR Dutch Southern. USA.

BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (4 titles)

B FOR BOY – DIR/SCR Chika Anadu. Nigeria.
North American Premiere.

CONGRATULATIONS! – DIR/SCR Mike Brune. USA.

LITTLE BLACK SPIDERS – DIR Patrice Toye. SCR Ina Vandewijer, Patrice Toye. Belgium.

MY AFGHANISTAN – LIFE IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE – DIR/SCR Nagieb Khaja. Denmark.

MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (5 titles)

This section showcases comedy and horror programming worth staying up late for.

BIG BAD WOLVES – DIR/SCR Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshlaes. Israel.

THE GREEN INFERNO – DIR Eli Roth. SCR Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo. USA, Chile.

R100 – DIR/SCR Hitoshi Matsumoto. Japan.

THE SACRAMENT – DIR/SCR Ti West. USA.

THE STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS – DIR/SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. Belgium, France, Luxembourg.

CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (3 titles)

THE COURT JESTER (1955) – DIR/SCR Norman Panama, Melvin Frank. USA.

MARY POPPINS (1964) – DIR Robert Stevenson. SCR Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi. USA.

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) – DIR/SCR Jacques Demy. France.

PRESENTATIONS SELECTIONS (2 titles)

The Whitewater Films Roundtable

Micro-Budget Filmmaking – The New Paradigm

Producer and Director Rick Rosenthal brings the famed Whitewater Films roundtable to AFI FEST for a conversation about how micro-budget filmmaking has emerged as the new paradigm for independent filmmakers. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Rosenthal’s micro-budget film DRONES.

DRONES – DIR Rick Rosenthal. SCR Matt Witten. USA.

Michael Stevens presents HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE

Special guests join director Michael Stevens for a panel discussion about the influence of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Stevens’ HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE.

HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE – DIR Michael Stevens. SCR Sara Lukinson, Michael Stevens. USA.

 

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  AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Additional Centerpiece Galas and Special Screenings are now on the lineup for AFI FEST 2013 taking place November 7 through 14 in Hollywood, California.  There will be a red carpet Gala each night of the festival. The additional Centerpiece Galas are AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Director: John Wells) on Friday, November 8; THE LAST EMPEROR 3D (Director: Bernardo Bertolucci) on Sunday, November 10; and the World Premiere of LONE SURVIVOR (Director: Peter Berg) on Tuesday, November 12. All Galas will be presented in the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. AFI FEST’s Special Screenings are HER (Director: Spike Jonze); THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (Director: Ralph Fiennes); JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (Director: Frank Pavich); MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM (Director: Justin Chadwick); THE PAST (LE PASSÉ) (Director: Asghar Farhadi); PHILOMENA (Director: Stephen Frears); and THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD (Director: Errol Morris).

As previously announced, Agnès Varda, considered “the Mother of French New Wave cinema,” will serve as Guest Artistic Director. The North American Premiere of SAVING MR. BANKS (Director: John Lee Hancock) is the Opening Night Gala on Thursday, November 7 and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) is the Closing Night Gala on Thursday, November 14. Previously announced Centerpiece Galas include the World Premiere of OUT OF THE FURNACE (Director: Scott Cooper) on Saturday, November 9, NEBRASKA (Director: Alexander Payne) featuring a Tribute to Bruce Dern on Monday, November 11, and THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (Director: Ben Stiller) on Wednesday, November 13.

AFI FEST 2013 Galas and Special Screenings

GALAS

Opening Night

SAVING MR. BANKS – The extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and author P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) proceed to turn her novel into the film MARY POPPINS. DIR John Lee Hancock. SCR Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith. CAST Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Emma Thompson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak. USA. North American Premiere.
Thursday, November 7, 2013.

Centerpiece Galas

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY – In this dramatic comedy with an all-star cast, a crisis reunites the women of an Oklahoma family and reignites their dysfunction. DIR John Wells. SCR Tracy Letts. CAST Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard. USA.
Friday, November 8, 2013.

OUT OF THE FURNACE – In this all-star, griping drama, a steel mill worker (Christian Bale) searches for his brother (Casey Affleck) in one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast. DIR Scott Cooper. SCR Scott Cooper, Brad Ingelsby. CAST Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe. USA. World Premiere.
Saturday, November 9, 2013.

THE LAST EMPEROR 3D – Winner of nine Oscars^®, this visually sumptuous drama has been transformed into 3-D by director Bernardo Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. This presentation will be the North American Premiere of the 3D version of the film. DIR Bernardo Bertolucci. SCR Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci. CAST John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole. China, Italy, UK, France.
Sunday, November 10, 2013.

NEBRASKA (featuring a Tribute to Bruce Dern) – Bruce Dern stars as a stubborn elderly man who travels to Nebraska with his son (Will Forte) to collect sweepstakes money in this elegant, black-and-white bittersweet journey. DIR Alexander Payne. SCR Bob Nelson. CAST Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, June Squibb. USA.
Monday, November 11, 2013.

LONE SURVIVOR – Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and survival, the film tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight to the finish. DIR/SCR Peter Berg. CAST Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Ali Suliman, Alexander Ludwig, Eric Bana. USA. World Premiere. 
Tuesday, November 12, 2013.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY – Director/actor Ben Stiller adapts James Thurber’s classic story – about a daydreamer who escapes his anonymous life through his fantasies – with sweeping scope and stirring intimacy. DIR Ben Stiller. SCR Steve Conrad. CAST Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn. USA.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

Closing Night

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – This epic on an intimate scale by the Coen brothers portrays a week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. DIR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. SCR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. CAST Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake. USA.
Thursday, November 14, 2013.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

HER – From the singular perspective of Oscar^®-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) comes HER, an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world. Set in Los Angeles in the near future, the film follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. DIR/SCR Spike Jonze. CAST Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde. USA.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN – Nelly (Felicity Jones), a happily married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) with whom she discovered an exciting but fragile complicity. DIR Ralph Fiennes. SCR Abi Morgan. CAST Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas. United Kingdom.

JODOROWSKY’S DUNE – The story of legendary cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s staggeringly ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel DUNE. DIR Frank Pavich. USA.

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM – Based on South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society. DIR Justin Chadwick. SCR William Nicholson. CAST Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Terry Pheto, Deon Lotz. South Africa.

THE PAST (LE PASSÉ) – Following a four year separation, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to Paris from Tehran, upon his estranged French wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo)’s request, in order to finalize their divorce procedure so she can marry her new boyfriend Samir (Tahar Rahim). During his tense brief stay, Ahmad discovers the conflicting nature of Marie’s relationship with her teenage daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet). Ahmad’s efforts to improve this relationship soon unveil a secret from their past. DIR/SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet. France, Iran, Italy.

PHILOMENA – Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee,” PHILOMENA focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock, something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of, and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son. DIR Stephen Frears. SCR Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope. CAST Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Michelle Fairley, Barbara Jefford, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mare Winningham, Sophie Kennedy Clark. United Kingdom.

THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD – The latest from Errol Morris focuses on former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Probing and insightful, Morris is the unequalled master of unpacking and contextualizing our recent shared history. DIR Errol Morris. USA.

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HARMONY LESSONS directed by Emir Baigazin

AFI FEST 2013 announced the films that will be featured in the New Auteurs and Shorts sections at this year’s festival taking place November 7 through 14 in Hollywood, California, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world and the Shorts selections present wildly diverse points of view from a variety of countries around the world. 

NEW AUTEURS SELECTIONS (10 titles)

THE FAKE – In this controversial animated drama from South Korea, a rural village in danger of a flood turns to a church that promises salvation. DIR Yeon Sang-ho. SCR Yeon Sang-ho. CAST Yang Ikjune, Oh Jungse, Kwon Haehyo, Park Heevon. South Korea.

HARMONY LESSONS – This captivating Kazakh drama follows an adolescent boy who faces schoolyard bullying – part of a hierarchy of village corruption – who resolves to plot revenge. DIR Emir Baigazin. SCR Emir Baigazin. CAST Timur Aidarbekov, Aslan Anarbayev, Mukhtar Anadassov, Anelya Adilbekova. Kazakhstan, Germany, France.

IN BLOOM – A powerful story about two 14-year-old girls who challenge patriarchal expectations in 1992 Tbilisi, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. DIR Nana Ekvtimishvili & Simon Gross. SCR Nana Ekvtimishvili. CAST Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria, Zurab Gogaladze. Georgia, Germany, France.

MY DOG KILLER – This simmering drama follows a lonely young adult living in rural Slovakia, where bubbling ethnic tensions and inner turmoil lead to dark consequences. DIR Mira Fornay. SCR Mira Fornay. CAST Adam Mihal, Marian Kuruc, Irena Bendova, Libor Filo. Slovakia, Czech Republic.

NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN – A new member of a fundamentalist Christian group moves in with a family, but soon descends into a vortex of dogmatism, heresy and violence. DIR Katrin Gebbe. SCR Katrin Gebbe. CAST Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Gersak, Swantje Kohlhof, Annika Kuhl. Germany.

THE OWNERS – A comic look at class struggle, this Argentine tale of estate workers and their employers makes full use of its ensemble cast to explore the difficulty of sustaining a lie. DIR Agustín Toscano & Ezequiel Radusky. SCR Agustín Toscano & Ezequiel Radusky. CAST Rosario Blefari, Germán De Silva, Sergio Prina, Cynthia Avellaneda. Argentina.

THE SELFISH GIANT – In this memorable example of British realism, feisty menace Arbor and his friend Swifty are expelled from school and turn to illegal means of making money. DIR Clio Barnard. SCR Clio Barnard. CAST Connor Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Rebecca Manley. United Kingdom.

A SPELL TO WARD OFF THE DARKNESS – Filmmakers Ben Russell and Ben Rivers team up for the first time to create this experimental triptych of stories revolving around a silent protagonist. DIR Ben Rivers & Ben Russell. SCR Ben Rivers & Ben Russell. CAST Robert A.A Lowe, Taraka Larson, Nimai Larson, Nick Turvey. France, Estoria.

THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT – A whimsical exploration of the tensions and pleasures of everyday life is made in a cramped Berlin apartment overflowing with adults, children and pets. DIR Ramon Zürcher. SCR Ramon Zürcher. Jenny Schily, Anjorka Strechel, Mia Kasalo, Luk Pfaff. Germany.

WE ARE MARI PEPA – This comic love letter to the loss of innocence follows a Guadalajara teenager with fun summer expectations who must come to terms with growing responsibilities. DIR Samuel Isamu Kishi Leopo. SCR Samuel Isamu Kishi Leopo & Sofía Gómez Córdova. CAST Alejandro Gallardo, Arnold Ramírez, Jaime Miranda, Moisés Galindo. Mexico.

SHORTS SELECTIONS (36 titles)

BALCONY – An entire village reacts to a boy dangling from a balcony in this one-shot tour de force. DIR Lendita Zeqiraj. SCR Lendita Zeqiraj. CAST Arben Bajraktaraj, Sevdai Radogoshi, Osman Ahmeti, Edona Reshitaj. Kosovo.

BUTTER LAMP – This travelogue of culture and context told through the eyes of two Tibetan photographers and their clients is an inventive and heartfelt exploration of the relationship among reality, dreams and memory. DIR Hu Wei. SCR Genden Punstock & Hu Wei. CAST Genden Punstock. France.

CARLOTA – He will be in love with her very soon. He is sure of this. DIR Nacho Vigalondo. Spain.

CATHERINE – Catherine is ready to come back to work. DIR Dean Fleischer-Camp. SCR Dean Fleischer-Camp & Jenny Slate. CAST Jenny Slate, Brandi Austin. USA.

DATAMOSH – Yung Jake raps about tweet culture, data-moshing, hashtags and memes as he merges with Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and Instagram. He’s not on PhotoBooth. DIR Yung Jake. USA.

THE DATE – Tino’s manhood is put to the test when he hosts a date for the family’s stud cat. DIR Jenni Toivoniemi. SCR Jenni Toivoniemi. CAST Oskari Joutsen, Anna Paavilainen, Päivi Mäkinen. Finland.

DECLARATION OF WAR – A mesmerizing montage of audiences reacting to George W. Bush’s announcement of Operation Enduring Freedom told entirely through footage captured during the speech. DIR Dustin Guy Defa. USA.

DEMOCRACY – Please gather in the conference room. The boss has a life-changing announcement guaranteed to boost morale. DIR Borja Cobeaga. SCR Alberto Gonzalez Vazquez. CAST Oscar Ladoire, Luis Bermejo, Alejandro Tejeria, Raquel Guerrero. Spain.

THE EVENT – Love and a severed foot, at the end of the world. DIR Julia Pott. SCR Tom Chivers. CAST Alex Britton, Laura Free. USA, United Kingdom.

FAMILY IN THE PARK – On a Sunday afternoon in the park, happiness exists but it comes at a price. DIR Pedro “Zulu” González. SCR Pedro “Zulu” González. Mexico.

I KILL – A gruesome, honest portrait of the man who kills your food. DIR David White & Paul Wedel. CAST Beatie Tarrant. New Zealand.

K.I.T. – A guilt-ridden yuppie goes to great lengths to prove she is a decent human being. DIR Michelle Morgan. SCR Michelle Morgan. CAST John Beach, Stephanie Allyne, Ryan Harrison. USA.

KARAOKE! – On a night out in New York City, a young man avoids his problems. DIR Andrew Renzi. SCR Andrew Renzi. CAST Brady Corbet, Clemence Poesy. USA.

MACHSOM – A 19-year-old Israeli soldier stationed at one of the most dangerous checkpoints along the West Bank must contend with pressures on all sides in the face of a high-stakes incident. DIR Joel Novoa. SCR Joel Novoa & Frederic Richter. USA.

MAGNESIUM – A talented young gymnast makes a life-changing discovery as she prepares for an important tournament, and her last chance to reach the top. DIR Sam de Jong. SCR Shady El-Hamus. CAST Denise Tan, Samira Maas, Vanja Rukavina. Netherlands.

MARILYN MYLLER – Marilyn maketh, Marilyn taketh away. It will be epic. It will be tear-jerkingly profound. It will be perfect. DIR Michael Please. SCR Michael Please. USA, United Kingdom.

THE MASQUE – The Masque was L.A.’s first punk rock club. This is all that’s left. DIR Mike Plante. CAST Rudy Garcia. USA.

MISTERIO: They say that if you put your ear to the back of his neck you can hear the Virgin talk. DIR Chema García Ibarra. SCR Chema García Ibarra. CAST Jose Manuel Ibarra. Spain.

MOVIES MADE FROM HOME #15 – Robert has big plans. He’s going to live as long as he can. DIR Robert Machoian. SCR Robert Machoian. CAST Bruce Graham. USA.

NOAH – Noah’s relationship takes a rapid turn for the worse in this fascinating study of romance in the digital age set entirely on a teenager’s computer screen. DIR Patrick Cederberg & Walter Woodman. SCR Patrick Cederberg & Walter Woodman. CAST Sam Kantor, Caitlin McConkey-Pirie, Nina Iordanova. Canada.

ON SUFFOCATION – This dialogue-free film about an execution describes what happens when the system becomes more important than human life. DIR Jenifer Malmqvist. SCR Jenifer Malmqvist. CAST Ali Dawoud, Poyan Karimi, Peshang Rad, Zana Penjweni. Sweden.

PLACES WHERE WE LIVED – His parents are selling his childhood home. What a terrible, terrible feeling. DIR Bernardo Britto. SCR Bernardo Britto. USA.

#POSTMODEM – A pop musical that predicts technological singularity in the form of a series of cinematic tweets. DIR Jillian Mayer & Lucas Leyva. SCR Jillian Mayer & Lucas Leyva. CAST Jillian Mayer, Kayla DeLacerda. USA.

THE RANCHER – A series of terrible dreams unhinge a man in power. DIR Kelly Sears. USA.

THE ROPER – A black man – and young calf roper – works through the all-white rodeo circuits in the Deep South as he dreams of competing in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. DIR Ewan McNicol & Anna Sandilands. USA.

RPGOKC – In a world on the brink of war, two video game characters find love on a dating website. DIR Emily Carmichael. USA.

THE RUNAWAY – A social worker at a detention center for juvenile offenders must bring one of the girls to court for sentencing. It’s going to be a hard day. DIR Jean-Bernard Marlin. SCR Jean-Bernard Marlin. CAST Adel Bencherif, Médina Yalaoui. France.

SAFE: A college student works at the illegal exchange booth attached to the pachinko. She’s fed up with people addicted to gambling, but the more she tries to escape, the deeper she’s stuck. DIR Byounggon Moon. SCR O Kwang Gwon. CAST Min Ji Lee, Tae Young Kang. South Korea.

SHADOW OF A CLOUD: On a sweltering summer day in Bucharest, a priest is called to a dying woman’s side to say a final prayer. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Florin Lazarescu. CAST Alexandru Dabija, Serban Pavlu. Romania.

SKIN: A young taxidermist and loner resorts to drastic measures when an entrancing girl finds his work beautiful. DIR Jordana Spiro. CAST Albert Flood, Sara Clark, Vickie Peterman, Patrick Graham. USA.

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY: In the south of France, a 30-year-old American woman wanders into a teenage party. Nobody seems to know what she’s doing there. DIR Lauren Wolkstein. SCR Lauren Wolkstein. CAST Anna Margaret Hollyman, Camille Claris, Ulysse Grosjean. France, USA.

SYNDROMEDA: No one believes that Leif was abducted by aliens. But then why did he wake up naked and bloody on the side of the road? Aliens, that’s why. DIR Patrik Eklund. SCR Patrik Eklund. CAST Jacob Nordenson, Svante Grundberg, Anki Larsson. Sweden.

THIS MUST BE THE ONLY FANTASY – A magical and lyrical ode to fantasy role-playing games from fashion house Rodarte and their collaborators. DIR Todd Cole and Rodarte. SCR Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. CAST Sidney Williams with Guinevere Van Seenus and Elijah Wood. USA.

TOKYO GIANTS – Using footage captured by hidden cameras on the streets of Tokyo, the always subversive Nicolas Provost constructs a narrative set to the conventions of Hollywood mysteries in the thrilling conclusion to his PLOT POINT trilogy. DIR Nicolas Provost. SCR Nicolas Provost. CAST Johan Rooms, Miet Warlop. Japan, Belgium.

WHALE VALLEY – Two young brothers living in a remote Icelandic fjord come to terms with the hard truths that make kids grow up before they’re ready. DIR Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. SCR Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. CAST Ágúst Örn B. Wigum og Einar Jóhann Valsson. Denmark, Iceland.

WILD HORSES – They captured her heart. She captured their story. DIR Stephanie Martin. SCR Stephanie Martin & Jessica Walsh. CAST Mireille Enos, Brooke Shields, Barbara Tarbuck and Tuff. USA.

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Scott Cooper’s OUT OF THE FURNACE

Additional red carpet Centerpiece Galas were announced for this year’s 2013 AFI FEST, including the World Premiere of Scott Cooper’s OUT OF THE FURNACE; Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA; accompanied by a Tribute to Bruce Dern; and THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Stuart Cornfeld, an AFI Conservatory alumnus and recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal at the AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony held last June, is one of the producers of THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. All galas will be presented in the historic TCL Theatre.

As previously announced, the North American Premiere of SAVING MR. BANKS (DIR John Lee Hancock) is the Opening Night Gala and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (DIR Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) is the Closing Night Gala. The Guest Artistic Director is Agnès Varda. The previously announced FOXCATCHER Premiere is no longer part of the AFI FEST program, due to the shift of the film’s release date to 2014.

“Our Centerpiece Galas reflect the diverse cinematic experience at AFI FEST, from our smaller independent films to larger studio releases. We are thrilled to have the World Premiere of OUT OF THE FURNACE; to honor the legendary Bruce Dern for his outstanding career and his brilliant performance in NEBRASKA; and to take the audience on a journey with THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, AFI FEST Festival Director. Commenting on the news that the previously announced Premiere of FOXCATCHER would move to next year, Lyanga added, “AFI will be proud to celebrate FOXCATCHER when Bennett Miller and his talented team are ready to share it with the world.”

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 INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

The North American Premiere Gala of Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS will open AFI FEST 2013 on Thursday, November 7, and the World Premiere Opening Weekend Gala of Sony Picture Classics’ FOXCATCHER on Friday, November 8 will launch a lineup of independent and auteur films that will screen over the course of the festival from November 7-14, 2013.

SAVING MR. BANKS, starring Academy Award®-winning actress Emma Thompson and AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks, will have its North American Premiere on Thursday, November 7 as the Opening Night Gala. Inspired by true events, SAVING MR. BANKS is the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney’s classic MARY POPPINS made it to the screen – and the testy relationship between the legendary Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it. John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE) is the director, and Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith wrote the screenplay. SAVING MR. BANKS also stars Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell.

FOXCATCHER, a psychological drama directed by Academy Award® nominee Bennett Miller (MONEYBALL) and starring Golden Globe® winner Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Academy Award®nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award® winner Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller, will have its World Premiere on Friday, November 8 as the Opening Weekend Gala. The film was written by E. Max Frye and Academy Award® nominee Dan Futterman. FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral. Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written and directed by Academy Award® winners Joel and Ethan Coen (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), was produced by Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen and will be the Closing Night Gala on Thursday, November 14. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake and follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, ­ some of them of his own making. Brimming with music performed by Isaac, Timberlake and Mulligan (as Llewyn’s married Village friends), as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – in the tradition of O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? – is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place. An epic on an intimate scale, it represents the Coen Brothers’ fourth collaboration with multiple-Grammy® and Academy Award®-winning music producer T Bone Burnett. Marcus Mumford is the Associate Music Producer. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS recently won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival. 

 

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AFI FEST 2013 officially announced its dates; this year’s festival will take place November 7 through 14 in Hollywood, California,  at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese), the Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood & Highland Center, the Egyptian Theatre of the American Cinematheque and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Submissions are now open and filmmakers are invited to submit narrative, documentary, experimental, animated and short films at AFI.com/AFIFEST. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards®.

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[caption id="attachment_2689" align="alignnone" width="550"]Jude Law arrives at the AFI FEST 2005 [/caption]

AFI FEST 2012 officially announced its dates and call for entries today. AFI FEST will take place November 1 through 8 in Hollywood, California, at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood & Highland Center, the Egyptian Theatre of the American Cinematheque and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Submissions are also now open and filmmakers are invited to submit narrative, documentary, experimental, animated and short films. The final submission deadline for short films (under 30 minutes) is July 27, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards®.  The final deadline for feature-length films is August 10. Films found solely through the submissions process are presented in the festival’s “Breakthrough” section, providing an opportunity for new filmmakers to share their vision with the world and receive a $5,000 cash award.

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[caption id="attachment_1831" align="alignnone"]WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT by Alexandra-Therese Keining[/caption]

AFI FEST 2011 announced the features and short films that took home this year’s Audience and Jury Awards. The audience voted the lesbian themed drama, WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT by first-time writer/director, Alexandra-Therese Keining the winner in the Breakthrough Section.

The 2011 AFI FEST complete list of winners: 

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Breakthrough Section (award accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize)
WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT by Alexandra-Therese Keining

New Auteurs Section
BULLHEAD by Michaël R. Roskam

World Cinema Section
A tie: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI by David Gelb and KINYARWANDA by Alrick Brown

Young Americans Section
WUSS by Clay Liford

LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT FILM SECTION JURY AWARDS
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences recognizes each winner as a qualifier for the annual Academy Awards®.

Live Action Short Film Section
Grand Jury Prize: FROZEN STORIES from Grzegorz Jaroszuk “for its world of meta-reality suffused with enough context to rend a beautifully nuanced story for the most heightened elements.”

Honorable Mention: BABYLAND by Marc Fratello “for its assured direction, stunning lead performance and the ability to balance humor and pathos all the way up to its shocking conclusion.”

Animated Short Film Section

Grand Jury Prize: THE EAGLEMAN STAG by Michael Please “for its ambitious and elegant storytelling, both narrative and aesthetically, in which the bigness of life and the concept of time are deftly unpacked in a moving nine minutes.”

Honorable Mention: THE VOYAGERS by Penny Lane “for its skillful juxtaposition of archival footage and personal narrative to tell a moving story of exploration, romance and space travel.”

NEW AUTEURS SECTION CRITIC’S PRIZE

Grand Jury Prize: THE LONELIEST PLANET by Julia Loktev “for its bold exploration of societal structures and gender roles, set against a landscape that conveys both profound beauty and profound alienation.”

Special Jury Prize: ATTENBERG by Athina Rachel Tsangari “for its wit, distinct voice and playful sense of storytelling.”

Acting Award Prize: BULLHEAD’s Matthias Schoenaerts “for his nuanced and intensely physical embodiment of bruised masculinity.”

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Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures’ THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, directed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg, will have its North American Premiere as the Closing Night Gala of AFI FEST 2011.

The film is based on the internationally beloved and irrepressible characters created by Hergé and stars Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. It is produced by Academy Award® winners Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy. From a screenplay by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, the story follows the unquenchably curious young reporter Tintin and his fiercely loyal dog Snowy as they discover a ship carrying an explosive secret that may hold the key to vast fortune…and an ancient curse. Academy Award®-winning composer John Williams scored the film, with 2011 marking a collaboration between Spielberg and Williams that has enriched 25 of their films together.

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