AFI FEST 2012 Centerpiece Galas and Special Screenings Announced

The Centerpiece Galas are LIFE OF PI in 3D (DIR Ang Lee); ON THE ROAD (DIR Walter Salles); RISE OF THE GUARDIANS in 3D (DIR Peter Ramsey); and RUST AND BONE/DE ROUILLE ET D’OS (DIR Jacques Audiard) featuring A Tribute to Marion Cotillard. All galas will be presented in the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

AFI FEST’s Special Screenings are THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE (DIR Ken Burns); GINGER AND ROSA (DIR Sally Potter); HOLY MOTORS (DIR Léos Carax); THE IMPOSSIBLE (DIR Juan Antonio Bayona); QUARTET (DIR Dustin Hoffman in his directorial debut); ROOM 237 (DIR Rodney Ascher); SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (DIR David O. Russell); and WEST OF MEMPHIS (DIR Amy Berg).

As previously announced, the World Premiere of HITCHCOCK (DIR Sacha Gervasi) is the Opening Night Gala and the World Premiere of LINCOLN (DIR Steven Spielberg) is the Closing Night Gala.

For the fourth consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings, but only the Star Patron Package and Marquee Patron Package will provide reserved seating for the galas, including the World Premiere opening night gala of HITCHCOCK and the World Premiere closing night gala of LINCOLN. These and other AFI FEST passes, including the Special Screenings Pass, are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST. The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization, and packages and passes are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

AFI members will have a 24-hour advance window on Wednesday, October 24 before free tickets become available to the general public. In addition, AFI members at the Two-Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all Patron Packages and Passes. Information about AFI Membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

11 October 6 Permalink

Bernardo Bertolucci to Serve as AFI FEST 2012 Guest Artistic Director

We announced this morning that internationally acclaimed filmmaker and Academy Award®-winning director and screenwriter Bernardo Bertolucci will serve as its Guest Artistic Director at AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi. 

As Guest Artistic Director, Bertolucci has selected four feature films for his special sidebar program at the festival:  42ND STREET  (DIR Lloyd Bacon), THE RULES OF THE GAME (DIR Jean Renoir), SUNRISE (DIR F.W. Murnau) and VIVRE SA VIE (DIR Jean-Luc Godard).  In addition, the festival will present ELECTRIC CHAIR, a behind-the-scenes film about the making of Bertolucci’s new movie, ME AND YOU.  Bertolucci has written and directed over 25 films, including THE LAST EMPEROR, LAST TANGO IN PARIS, THE CONFORMIST, THE SHELTERING SKY and LITTLE BUDDHA.  He has been honored with two Academy Awards® for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay for THE LAST EMPEROR, he was the recipient of an honorary Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and this December he will be receiving the European Film Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  Bertolucci also conducted Master Seminars at the AFI Conservatory about the craft of filmmaking and his particular visual style in 1974 and again in 1979.

“I am very excited and honored to be the Guest Artistic Director of AFI FEST this year,” said Bernardo Bertolucci.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-afi-fest-guest-director-bernardo-bertolucci-20121009,0,7319029.story

10 October 4 Permalink

Mel Brooks to Receive the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award

Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the American Film Institute’s Board of Trustees, announced today the Board’s decision to honor Mel Brooks with the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film. The award will be presented to Brooks at a gala tribute on Thursday, June 6, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA.

“Mel Brooks is America’s long-reigning king of comedy – and as he taught us long ago, it’s good to be the king,” said Stringer. “He’s a master of an art form that rarely gets the respect it deserves, and it is AFI’s honor to shine a bright light on laughter by presenting Mel Brooks the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award.”

Reflecting his range of mastery in the entertainment arts – from writing, directing and producing to acting and composing – Brooks is only one of 14 people who have won the Emmy^®, Grammy^®, Oscar^® and Tony^® Award. The 41st AFI Life Achievement Award tribute special will premiere on TNT in late June 2013, followed by encores on its sister network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-afi-honors-mel-brooks-20121004,0,2268185.story

5 October 3 Permalink

U.S. Premiere of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY to Benefit AFI

We are thrilled to announce that the U.S. Premiere of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, from Academy Award®- winning director Peter Jackson, will screen at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 6 as a benefit for the education and preservation initiatives of the American Film Institute.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is the first in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. The film, a production of New Line Cinema and MGM, will be released nationwide on December 14, 2012 from Warner Bros. Pictures. The U.S. Premiere is presented  in conjunction with Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM).

“The world eagerly awaits a journey back to Middle-earth,” said Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute. ”We are honored the filmmakers have chosen AFI to host this landmark moment in film history.” THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy is represented among the greatest movies of all time as part of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list, and all three films have been honored at AFI Awards, the American Film Institute’s “almanac” of the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will have its U.S. Premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City’s largest single screen venue, built in 1969 as one of the last great movie palaces in the nation.

Benefit ticket packages and individual tickets are available through the American Film Institute at AFI.com/thehobbit. 

4 October 5 Permalink

AFI FEST 2012 Announces YOUNG AMERICANS and NEW AUTEURS Titles

(Film still from STARLET, directed by Sean Baker)

3 October 5 Permalink

Meet the AFI FEST Staff: Amy Campbell, Director of Special Events

(Left to right: Cindi Kim, Linda Arellano, Josh Porro, Amy Campbell, Gregory Copeland)

What is your job at AFI FEST?

I am Director of Special Events and our team is responsible for coordinating the production of the Gala nights.  We manage the red carpet set-up and Will Call each evening.

How long have you worked at AFI FEST?

I have worked for AFI since 2000, but I started working on AFI FEST in 2007.

What do you enjoy about working at AFI FEST?

I enjoy meeting and working with all of the great people including the AFI FEST staff, sponsors and the guests.

What’s you favorite movie (of all time)?

My favorite film is THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

What’s your most memorable AFI FEST moment?

There are so many great moments.  I worked with Warner Bros. on the NORTH BY NORTHWEST Anniversary Screening and it was great hearing Eva Maria Saint talk about working with Alfred Hitchcock.

3 October Permalink

World Premiere of HITCHCOCK Will Open AFI FEST 2012

On November 1, the World Premiere of HITCHCOCK will open the AFI FEST 2012 at Grauman’s historic Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. The film stars Academy Award^® winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award^® winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins.

The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi and also stars Toni Collette, Danny Huston and Michael Stuhlbarg.  From a screenplay by John J. McLaughlin, the film is based on the book “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho” by Stephen Rebello. HITCHCOCK, a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock, and his wife and partner, Alma Reville, takes place during the making of the distinguished director’s seminal 1960 movie, PSYCHO.

“AFI’s history with Alfred Hitchcock is a proud one, from a Master Seminar at the AFI Conservatory in 1970 to his receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979,” said Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute.  “We are honored to celebrate his lasting legacy with the World Premiere of HITCHCOCK – a bloody valentine to his creative genius and the inspired woman at his side.”

“Alfred Hitchcock’s signature style has made him one of the most influential directors in the world,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director, AFI FEST.  “This film pulls back the curtain and takes us behind-the-scenes of his lifelong collaboration with his wife Alma during the making of his 1960 masterpiece PSYCHO – it’s the perfect film to welcome our audience of movie-lovers with on opening night.”

 For the fourth consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings, but only the Star Patron Package and Marquee Patron Package will provide reserved seating at the World Premiere opening night gala of HITCHCOCK.  These and other AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes – which can include access to sold-out galas and other high-demand films and events – are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST.  The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization, and Patron Packages are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

 Free individual tickets to AFI FEST screenings and galas will be available to AFI members on Wednesday, October 24 in a 24-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on October 25.  In addition, AFI members Two Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all Patron Packages and Passes.  Information about AFI Membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

27 September 6 Permalink