Oscar®-nominated filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig will serve as the guest artistic director at AFI Fest 2023. Gerwig most recently directed and co-wrote the global cultural phenomenon, Barbie, smashing box office records and receiving worldwide critical acclaim. In 2017, Gerwig made her directorial debut with Lady Bird, earning Oscar® nominations for Best Directing and Original Screenplay. She went on to write and direct the inventive adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture and an individual nomination for Gerwig for Best Adapted Screenplay. As an actress, Gerwig’s early films include the indie classics Hannah Takes The Stairs which she co-wrote, and Nights and Weekends, which she co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced, before her breakout in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg opposite Ben Stiller. She followed up the collaboration with Baumbach co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed Frances Ha, earning a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actress--Comedy or Musical, as well as Mistress America, and they have continued their creative partnership with Gerwig starring in Baumbach’s most recent film, White Noise. Her additional acclaimed performances include standout roles in Jackie and 20th Century Women.

“Greta Gerwig is devoted to cinema, and AFI is devoted to her,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “In 2010, she served on the Shorts Jury for AFI Fest--and across the years since then, AFI has been proud to celebrate Ladybird and Little Women and now we are honored to welcome her home as guest artistic director.” 

Previous guest artistic directors for AFI Fest include Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda.

The 37th edition of AFI Fest will take place October 25-29 in Los Angeles.    

As previously announced, this year’s program is set to feature an expanded selection of features and shorts compared to last year, offering 141 titles for the public to enjoy across five days. The program includes three Red Carpet Premieres, 10 Special Screenings, 15 Luminaries, 12 Discovery, 16 World Cinema, 13 Documentary, 42 Short Film Competition, and 30 films in the AFI Conservatory Showcase presented by AMC Networks. Of the official selections, 44% are directed by women, 37% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 18% by LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. There are four World Premieres, three North American Premieres and four U.S. Premieres. This year’s program represents 49 countries and includes 18 Best International Feature Oscar® submissions. The world premiere of Leave The World Behind, written and directed by Sam Esmail (AFI Class of 2004) and starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, will open AFI Fest on October 25. The world premiere of Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story from directors Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz will be the Centerpiece film on October 27, and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan), will close AFI Fest 2023 on October 29.