Silver Screen, Silver Jubilee: AFI FEST

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Saturday, 29 October 2011 05:00

Written by Lynne Shannon

The 25th edition of American Film Institute‛s AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi runs November 3 - 10, 2011 at the historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.

The American Film Market (AFM), running November 2–9, 2011, is the market partner of AFI FEST, taking place at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, the Fairmont and Le Merigot Hotels in Santa Monica. Since 2004, this "strategic partnership has grown into the largest gathering of film professionals in North America."

This year the Fest‛s Guest Artistic Director is Pedro Almodóvar. His own film Law of Desire will be screening at An Evening with Pedro Almodóvar, and he will be joined by Antonio Banderas, who starred in the film.

Almodóvar says that Law of Desire is "a fundamental title in my career. Even though we made it on a very modest budget, I don’t think I’d change a single shot, and not because it’s perfect but because I recognize myself in all of them...

"It’s true that my palette has darkened and, in the case of the latest film [The Skin I Live In], the humor has almost disappeared. Fortunately I’ve changed sufficiently so that no one can accuse me of repeating myself, but I’m still the same. Law of Desire shows that."

As Guest Artistic Director, Almodóvar‛s selections are classic horror films and thrillers:

• Eyes Without a Face, dir. Georges Franju (1960)
• Le Cercle Rouge, dir. Jean-Pierre Melville (1970)
• Nightmare Alley, dir. Edmund Goulding (1947)
• The Killers, dir. Robert Siodmak (1946)

The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Clint Eastwood‛s latest, eagerly awaited film, J. Edgar. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover, with Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer and Judi Dench, the film explores the life of the controversial and powerful founder/director of the FBI.

"Clint Eastwood is an American icon -- one whose work as a director, actor, producer and composer not only stands the test of time, but also continues to add new, rich chapters with each passing year," said Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute.

"What a gift it is to be going to the movies when Clint Eastwood is making them, and what an honor it is for the American Film Institute to premiere his latest contribution to America's cultural legacy."

The Centerpiece Gala films are:

• The Lady, dir. Luc Besson
• The Artist, dir. Michel Hazanavicius
• Carnage, dir. Roman Polanski
• My Week with Marilyn, dir. Simon Curtis
• Shame, dir. Steve McQueen

It is now LA‛s turn to view some of the most highly acclaimed films in the festival circuit this year:

• Coriolanus, dir. Ralph Fiennes
• Into the Abyss, dir. Werner Herzog
• Jeff, Who Lives at Home, dir. Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
• We Need to Talk about Kevin, dir. Lynne Ramsay
• Melancholia, dir. Lars von Trier
• Rampart, dir. Oren Moverman
• I Melt with You, dir. Mark Pellington
• The Kid with a Bike, dir. Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
• Miss Bala, dir. Gerardo Naranjo, AFI Conservatory Class of 2001 (Mexico’s Foreign Language Oscar submission)
• Pina, dir. Wim Wenders (Germany’s Foreign Language Oscar submission)

Some of the other films are:

The Color Wheel
directed by Alex Ross Perry
starring Carlen Altman, Bob Byington, Kate Lyn Sheil, Anna Bak-Kvapil, Ry Russo-Young
A brother and sister who have never gotten along are forced back on each other when their partners break up with them, friends turn out to not be friends, and there is no one else either of them can go to.

Green
directed by Sophia Takal
Kate Lyn Sheil, Lawrence Michael Levine, Louis Cancelmi, Alex Ross Perry, Robert Malone
An intimate friendship between two women is blown apart by rivalry over men.

Bonsái
directed by Cristián Jiménez (Chile)
starring Diego Noguera, Natalia Galgani, Gabriela Arancibia, Trinidad González, Hugo Medina
A struggling writer dupes his girlfriend into thinking he has a transcribing job when he is actually writing his own novel. When he tries to use a past relationship in his novel, he finds himself drawn back to the girl he used to be involved with.

Attenberg
directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece)
starring Ariane Labed, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou, Yorgos Lanthimos
"While preparing for her father’s impending death, a young woman discovers her own sexuality through lessons from her only friend and a visiting engineer."

From the widely touted to the newly discovered, these films would make up a bounty of cinematic riches no matter what city the Festival is in.  

For more information, go to www.afi.com/afifest.

AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi
November 3 - 10, 2011

Grauman's Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

The Chinese 6 Theatres
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

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