AFI Fest will present four Tributes this year as Sofia Coppola, Kirby Dick, Rita Moreno and Mira Nair will each be honored with an evening of conversation celebrating their distinguished careers.
“Artists of this caliber are essential players in our global culture,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “To honor each of them–and all of them–at AFI FEST will prove a symphony of talent at a time the world needs it most.”
Coppola exploded onto the festival scene with her directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides (1999) which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. With her second film, Lost In Translation, Coppola earned more accolades, including the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay and nominations for Best Director and Best Picture. In 2017, she made history as only the second woman to win Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival with her film The Beguiled. Coppola returns to the screen this autumn with the release of On the Rocks, the first co-production between Apple and A24, starring Bill Murray, Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans. AFI Fest will spotlight Coppola’s prolific work in an intimate conversation.
Dick (AFI Conservatory Class of 1983) is a two-time Academy Award® nominated and Emmy® award-winning investigative filmmaker behind some of the most groundbreaking documentaries today with his creative partner Amy Ziering. His most recent projects directly impacted American politics and culture, resulting in real-world change. The Invisible War (2012) exposed the epidemic of rape in the U.S. military leading to multiple congressional hearings and dozens of policy reforms in Congress. The Hunting Ground (2015) created a national discussion of sexual assault on college campuses and sweeping reform policies at hundreds of institutions. The Bleeding Edge (2018) unearthed the fast-growing medical device industry’s corruption and malfeasance, catalyzing devices removed from shelves. With the release earlier this year of his latest documentary, On The Record, Dick presented the haunting story of music executive Drew Dixon as she struggles with her decision to be the first woman of color to come forward within the #MeToo movement. Past films by Dick include Twist Of Faith, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Sick, and Outrage. AFI Fest will host a conversation with Dick to discuss his documentary career.
Nair’s accomplished filmmaking has earned her accolades around the world. With her directorial debut, Salaam Bombay! (1988), Nair won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and later went on to earn an Academy Award® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Since then she has become a modern cinema master with films such as Mississippi Masala (1991), Monsoon Wedding (2001) and The Namesake (2006). AFI Fest salutes director and activist Nair this year with a special conversation followed by the U.S. premiere screening of the six-hour series A Suitable Boy, based on Vikram Seth’s classic novel.
Moreno’s career began with a Broadway debut at 13 years old. Since then she has won all four of the most prestigious awards in show business–an Oscar®, a Tony®, two Emmys®, and a Grammy®–as well as a Peabody Award and a Kennedy Center Honor. Moreno has also been recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. Moreno received an Honorary Degree from the AFI Conservatory in 2016. Her latest work includes co-starring and serving as executive producer in the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story, scheduled for release summer of 2021, and starring in the popular Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, One Day At AT Time.
AFI Fest 2020 will take place online October 15-22, 2020, and will open, as previously announced, with the world premiere of I’m Your Woman (director Julia Hart) and close with the world premiere of My Psychedelic Love Story (director Errol Morris). Special Presentations include the world premieres of Pink Skies Ahead (director Kelly Oxford), The Reagans (director Matt Tyrnauer) and Really Love (director Angel Kristi Williams, in addition to The Father (director Florian Zeller), Fireball (directors Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer) and A Suitable Boy (director Nair).
