AFI Fest 2019 November 14–21: Full Festival Lineup
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the films that will play in the New Auteurs, Cinema’s Legacy, Midnight, Shorts and AFI Conservatory Showcase sections at AFI FEST 2019 presented by Audi, completing the festival’s program.
The complete AFI FEST program includes 142 titles (80 features, 1 episodic, 40 shorts, 21 AFI Conservatory Showcase Shorts) of which 51% are directed by women. This year’s program represents 52 countries, and includes eight official International Feature Film Oscar®submissions as well as four World Premieres. The total film breakdown by section is: Galas (6), Alan J. Pakula Tribute (4), Special Screenings (8), New Auteurs (24), World Cinema (16), Midnight (2), Cinema’s Legacy (5), Documentary Films & Encore Screenings (16), Short Films (40) and AFI Conservatory Showcase (21).
Highlighting emerging directors, New Auteurs is the festival’s platform for internationally diverse new filmmakers to showcase their latest films. This year, the section is comprised of 24 films, with 17 helmed by female filmmakers. The section includes two official International Feature Film Oscar®submissions screening at this year’s festival: Morocco’s Adam (Dir Maryan Touzani) (See my blog on this wonderful film!) and Russia’s Beanpole (Dir Kantemir Balagov).
In this year’s Cinema’s Legacy program, AFI FEST turns the spotlight to the men and women behind the lens. This section is a celebration of motion picture history and a special opportunity to celebrate classic films, and those who created them. The section features three documentaries on renowned filmmakers, Forman v Forman (Dir Helena Trestikova, Jakub Hejna), He Dreams of Giants (Dir Keith Fulton, Lou Pepe) and Varda by Agnès (Dir Agnès Varda). In addition, Talking About Trees (Dir Suhaib Gasmelbari) (winner of El Gouna Golden Star for Documentary Film — Read my blog from El Gouna Film Fest) , a documentary on the history of Sudanese cinema, as well as Romantic Comedy (Dir Elizabeth Sankey), an examination of the popular genre and its effect on the culture-at-large, are included in Cinema’s Legacy.
The Midnight section features the chilling and provocative genre films Jallikattu (Dir Lijo Jose Pellissery) and Saint Maud (Dir Rose Glass).
The Shorts section includes 40 films from filmmakers from all over the world, showcasing their distinct international viewpoints. As the only juried section of the festival, the Grand Jury Award winners for Live Action and Animated Short will be eligible for the 2020 Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards®. This year’s Shorts section will include screenings of two out-of-competition films from this year’s MEET THE PRESS Film Festival with AFI, FIRE IN PARADISE followed by a conversation with the filmmakers moderated by Chuck Todd, Meet the PressModerator and NBC News Political Director, and MACK WRESTLES. The Shorts jury is comprised of filmmakers Katrelle Kindred, Hannah Peterson and Dvay Rothbart.
New to AFI FEST is the inaugural AFI Conservatory Showcase. This collection of 21 short fiction films from the AFI Conservatory features an array of voices and styles and the five 2019 Student Academy Award®finalists, including all three winners in the Narrative (Domestic) category.
Individual tickets are now available for purchase exclusively for AFI members and will be made available for the general public on October 30. Passes are now available for all at Fest.AFI.com.
