AFI FEST presented by Audi, a showcase of the most highly anticipated films and performances of the year, today announced the remaining programs and their films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight and Shorts programs at the 25th edition this November.
World Cinema showcases the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year, Breakthrough highlights works discovered only through the submissions process and Midnight’s eclectic selection presents films with provocative and unexpected ideas. Both World Cinema and Breakthrough feature a number of films making their U.S. premieres, including ALMAYER’S FOLLY, CAFÉ DU FLORE, FAUST and WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT (World Premiere).
Three of the 35 shorts in competition are from AFI Conservatory’s recent classes of 2010 and 2011 – Julian Higgins’ THIEF, which won the top prize in narrative filmmaking at the 38th Annual Student Academy Awards and top honors at the 32nd College Television Awards earlier this year, Lindsay MacKay’s CLEAR BLUE, which placed second at the 32nd College Television Awards and Casey Cooper Johnson’s UNMANNED, which was finished just in time for festival submission. Rick Rosenthal’s (AFI Directing Class of 1973) BLINK is also in competition. The AFI Conservatory was rated the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter for the quality of its instructors and speakers, and its “glittering parade of alumni.”
AFI FEST kicks off awards season with presentations that spotlight the work of film masters, moving image icons and breakthrough talents. Many of the casts are international, and the directors hail from across the globe. This year’s AFI FEST will screen 110 films (70 features, 40 shorts) selected from over 3,000 submissions across 36 countries, with France (11), Belgium (9) and Canada (5) topping the international selections. The breakdown by section is: Galas/Tributes (8), Special Screenings (11), Young Americans (6), New Auteurs (9), World Cinema (21), Midnight (3), Spotlight (3), Breakthrough (4) and Short Films (39), and includes eight official foreign-language Oscar submissions.
The films in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, and previously announced New Auteurs and Young Americans sections are eligible for their respective section’s Audience Award, while the Shorts program and New Auteurs also feature jury-selected prizes. This year’s Shorts jury consists of filmmakers Barry Jenkins and Gerardo Naranjo (AFI Conservatory Class of 2001) and festival programmer Kim Yutani. The New Auteurs Critics Prize jury is comprised exclusively of film critics: Justin Chang (Variety), Mike Goodridge (Screen International), Mark Olsen (LA Times, Film Comment, LA Weekly) and Jean Oppenheimer (American Cinematographer, KPCC).
Companies exhibiting at the American Film Market (AFM), the market partner of AFI FEST, will represent 27 of the films presented at this year’s AFI FEST and 11 of them will screen at the market.
For the third consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings. The new AFI FEST Cinepass, the Special Screenings pass and Patron Passes – which ensure access to sold-out presentations and other high-demand films and events – are on sale now. Pass purchases are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Additional information is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST, 1.888.AFI FEST and on-site at the AFI FEST box office at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.
Individual tickets to AFI FEST will be available to AFI members on Wednesday, October 26 in a 24-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on October 27. In addition, AFI members and AFI Conservatory alumni receive a 10% discount on all passes. Information about AFI membership is available at AFI.com/membership.
AFI FEST will take place November 3 through 10 in Hollywood, California, at the historic Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS
A showcase of modern masters and emerging filmmakers from across the globe, this year’s World Cinema program showcases some of the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year.
ALMAYER’S FOLLY: DIR/SCR Chantal Akerman. Belgium/France. U.S. Premiere.
ALPS: DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou. Greece/France. U.S. Premiere.
ARIRANG: DIR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea. U.S. Premiere.
CAFÉ DU FLORE: DIR/SCR Jean-Marc Vallée. Canada. U.S. Premiere.
CARRÉ BLANC: DIR/SCR Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. France/Luxembourg/Russia/Belgium/Switzerland. U.S. Premiere.
THE DAY HE ARRIVES: DIR/SCR Hong Sang-Soo. South Korea. U.S. Premiere.
EXTRATERRESTRIAL: DIR/SCR Nacho Vigalondo. Spain.
FAUST: DIR Alexander Sokurov. SCR Alexander Sokurov, Marina Koreneva. Russia. U.S. Premiere.
FOOTNOTE: DIR/SCR Joseph Cedar. Israel. Israel’s official foreign-language Oscar submission.
THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD: DIR Joshua Marston. SCR Joshua Marston, Andamion Murataj. USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy.
THE INVADER: DIR Nicolas Provost. SCR Nicolas Provost, Giordano Gederlini, François Pirot. Belgium. U.S. Premiere.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI: DIR David Gelb. USA.
KINYARWANDA: DIR/SCR Alrick Brown. USA.
MAMA AFRICA: DIR Mika Kaurismäki. Germany/South Africa/Finland.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA: DIR Nuri Bilge Ceylan. SCR Ercan Kesal, Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Turkey/Bosnia/Herzegovina. Turkey’s official foreign-language Oscar submission.
PLAY: DIR/SCR Ruben Östlund. Sweden/France/Denmark.
A SEPARATION: DIR/SCR Asghar Farhadi. Iran. Iran’s official foreign-language Oscar submission.
THE SILVER CLIFF: DIR Karim Aïnouz. SCR Beatriz Brachner, Karim Aïnouz. Brazil.
TARGET: DIR Alexander Zeldovich. SCR Vladimir Sorokin, Alexander Zeldovich. Russia.
THIS IS NOT A FILM: DIR/SCR Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi. Iran.
THE TURIN HORSE: DIR Béla Tarr. SCR Béla Tarr, László Krasznahorkai. Hungary. Hungary’s official foreign-language Oscar submission.
BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS
The Breakthrough films are true discoveries – films that come straight from the submissions process.
EXPECTING: DIR/SCR Francisca Fuenzalida. Chile. U.S. Premiere.
LIGHT OF MINE: DIR Brett Eichenberger. SCR Jill Remensnyder. USA.
THREE AND A HALF: DIR/SCR Naghi Nemati. Iran. U.S. Premiere.
WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT: DIR/SCR Alexandra-Therese Keining. Sweden. World Premiere.
MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS
The Midnight section showcases an eclectic group of films across the globe from fearless proponents of provocative, jarring and unexpected ideas.
BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW: DIR/SCR Panos Cosmatos. USA.
HEADHUNTERS: DIR Morten Tyldum. DIR Morten Tyldum. SCR Lars Gudmestad, Ulf Ryberg. Norway.
KILL LIST: DIR Ben Wheatley. SCR Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump. UK.
SHORT FILM SELECTIONS (In Competition)
The films in this section are in competition for the Grand Jury Prize for Live Action Short Film and Animated Short Film. Both award categories are recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as qualifiers for the annual Academy Awards®.
30,000 DAYS: DIR Stephanie Barber. USA.
ALL FLOWERS IN TIME: DIR Jonathan Caouette. USA.
ALL IN ALL: DIR Charlie Reff. USA.
ANOTHER BULLET DOGED: DIR Landon Zakheim. USA.
BABYLAND: DIR Marc Fratello. USA.
BLINK: DIR Rick Rosenthal. AFI Conservatory Directing Class of 1973. Canada.
BROKEN NIGHT: DIR Yang Hyo-Joo. Korea.
CLEAR BLUE: DIR Lindsay MacKay. AFI Conservatory Thesis Film/AFI Directing Class of 2010. USA.
DR. BREAKFAST: DIR Stephen Neary. USA.
THE EAGLEMAN STAG: DIR Michael Please. UK.
EX-SEX: DIR Michael Mohan. USA.
FROZEN STORIES: DIR Grzegorz Jaroszuk. Poland.
INFINITE MINUTES: DIR Cecilia Felmeri. Hungary/Romania.
JUAN Y LA BORREGA: DIR J. Xavier Velasco. Mexico.
LIBERTAS: DIR Kan Lume. Australia/Singapore.
LITTLE KITTEN: DIR Stephanie Barber. USA.
MASKA: DIR Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay. USA.
MEXICAN CUISINE: DIR Francisco Guijarro. USA.
NEGATIVAPEG: DIR M. Rankin. Canada.
NIGHT HUNTER: DIR Stacy Steers. USA.
ONCE IT STARTED IT COULD NOT END OTHERWISE: DIR Kelly Sears. USA.
ONE MINUTE PUBERTY: DIR Alexander Gellner. USA.
PIONEER: DIR David Lowery. USA.
PROTOPARTICLES: DIR Chema García Ibarra. Spain.
RUNAWAY: DIR Victor Carrey. Spain.
SATAN SINCE 2003: DIR Carlos Puga. USA.
SLEEP STUDY: DIR Kerri Lenoo, John Merriman. USA.
TATUM’S GHOST: DIR Stephanie Barber. USA.
THIEF: DIR Julian Higgins. AFI Conservatory Thesis Film/AFI Directing Class of 2010. USA.
TO DIE NEXT TO YOU: Dir Simon Cahn, Spike Jonze. France.
UNMANNED: DIR Casey Cooper Johnson. AFI Conservatory Thesis Film/AFI Directing Class of 2011. USA.
THE VOYAGERS: DIR Penny Lane. USA.
WE’RE LEAVING: DIR Zachary Treitz. USA.
YEARBOOK: DIR Carter Smith. USA.
ZERGUT: DIR Natasha Subramaniam, Alisa Lapidu. USA.
SHORT FILM SELECTIONS (Out of Competition)
AANTENI: DIR Todd Cole. USA.
I SAW YOUR SISTER YESTERDAY: DIR Mina Park. USA.
MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO: DIR Juliano Dornelles. Brazil.
MY BOW BREATHING: DIR Enrico Maria Artale. Italy.
Film stills and director headshots are available for press use only and can be downloaded at flickr.com/photos/afifestpublicity/collections.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.
AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and Archive, the AFI Life Achievement Award, now in it’s 40th year, AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, AFI Fest presented by Audi, celebrating its 25th edition this fall, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, AFI Silver Theatre and the AFI Conservatory, which was named the # 1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter.
Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
About AFI FEST
Celebrating its 25th year as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi will take place November 3 through 10 in the heart of Hollywood. Kicking off the awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing appreciative audiences with a festive atmosphere and the very best of global cinema, right in the center of the film capital of the world.
The American Film Market (AFM), November 2 through 9, 2011, is the market partner of AFI FEST. Together, AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival-market event in North America. AFI FEST is the only FIAPF-accredited film festival in the United States. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the annual Academy Awards®.
Audi is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; AT&T; Pepsi; the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Levi’s; Stella Artois and American Film Market (AFM), among many others.
Additional information about AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST.
About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
About AFM
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution reaches its peak every year at the AFM, when more than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, premieres, networking, parties and conferences. Participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA). More information is online at AmericanFilmMarket.com.
Backgrounder:
AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi World Cinema, Breakthrough and Midnight
WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS
ALMAYER’S FOLLY: Chantal Akerman loosely adapts Joseph Conrad’s novel set in Malaysia, the tragic tale of a failed European trader and his “mixed blood” daughter. DIR Chantal Akerman. CAST Stanislas Merhar, Marc Barbé, Aurora Marion, Zac Andrianasolo. Belgium/France. U.S. Premiere.
ALPS: DOGTOOTH director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with a tale of a group offering an unusual service for grieving families: They inhabit the role of the recently deceased. DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou. CAST Aggeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Ariane Labed, Johnny Vekris. Greece/France. U.S. Premiere.
ARIRANG: Traumatized by a near-fatal accident during filming, director Kim Ki-duk offers a visionary self-portrait of a troubled artist reeling from an emotional breakdown. DIR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea. U.S. Premiere.
CAFÉ DU FLORE: In his follow-up to C.R.A.Z.Y., Jean Marc Vallée tells two parallel stories connected by music about a Montreal D.J. and a mother devoted to her special-needs son. DIR/SCR Jean-Marc Vallée. CAST Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent, Evelyne Brochu, Marin Gerrier. Canada. U.S. Premiere.
CARRÉ BLANC: One of the strongest debuts in years, CARRÉ BLANC is a dystopian sci-fi vision of a world with limited resources and limitless cruelty. DIR/SCR Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. CAST Sami Bouajila, Julie Gayet, Jean-Pierre Andreani, Fejria Deliba, Valerie Bodson. France/Luxembourg/Russia/Belgium/Switzerland.
THE DAY HE ARRIVES: In director Hong Sang-soo’s sublime black-and-white vision of Seoul in winter, a filmmaker’s visit to an old friend reverberates with déjà vu-inducing parallels and repetitions. DIR/SCR Hong Sang-Soo. CAST Yu Jun-sang, Kim Sang-joong, Song Sun-mi, Kim Bok-yung. South Korea. U.S. Premiere.
EXTRATERRESTRIAL: TIMECRIMES director Nacho Vigalondo’s surprising second feature finds an alien invasion providing the backdrop for one of the most delightful romantic comedies in years. DIR/SCR Nacho Vigalondo. CAST Julian Villagran, Michelle Jenner, Raul Cimas, Carlos Areces, Miguel Noguera. Spain.
FAUST: RUSSIAN ARK director Alexander Sokurov offers a poetic meditation on Goethe’s legend of the scholar who exchanges his soul for unlimited knowledge. DIR Alexander Sokurov. SCR Alexander Sokurov, Marina Koreneva. CAST Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinskiy, Isolda Dychauk, Georg Friedrich, Hanna Schygulla. Russia. U.S. Premiere.
FOOTNOTE: With wit and pathos, Joseph Cedar tells the story of a rivalry between father and son, both professors in the competitive world of Talmudic scholarship. DIR/SCR Joseph Cedar. CAST Shlomo Bar Aba, Lior Ashkenazi, Alisa Rosen, Alma Zak, Daniel Markovich, Micah Lewesohn, Yuval Scharf, Nevo Kimchi. Israel.
THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD: In MARIA FULL OF GRACE director Joshua Marston’s assured second feature, a modern Albanian teenager finds himself ensnared in his family’s ancient blood feud. DIR Joshua Marston. SCR Joshua Marston, Andamion Murataj. CAST Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Laçej, Refet Abazi, Ilire Vinca Çelaj, Çun Lajçi. USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy.
THE INVADER: The Invader tells the riveting story of an African immigrant who flees near-enslavement and fights for survival in a European city where he does not belong. DIR Nicolas Provost. SCR Nicolas Provost, Giordano Gederlini, François Pirot. CAST Issaka Sawadogo, Stefania Rocca, Serge Riaboukine, Dieudonné Kabongo, Tibo Vandenborre, Hannelore Knuts. Belgium. U.S. Premiere.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI: With stunning cinematography and a score by Philip Glass, David Galb’s documentary about renowned 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono is a complete feast for the senses. DIR David Gelb. CAST Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Takashi Ono, Hachiro Mizutani. USA.
KINYARWANDA: Set in 1994, KINYARWANDA interweaves six true tales into one epic narrative about the Rwandan genocide. DIR/SCR Alrick Brown. CAST Cassandra Freeman, Edouard Bamporiki, Cleophas Kabasita. USA.
MAMA AFRICA: A documentary film about the late Miriam Makeba, the charismatic South African singer and anti-apartheid activist who became the voice and the hope of Africa. DIR Mika Kaurismäki. Germany/South Africa/Finland.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA: A confessed killer leads detectives to his victim’s body in this slow-burning and far from routine police procedural from Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan. DIR: Nuri Bilge Ceylan. SCR: Ercan Kesal, Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan. CAST Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel, A. Mumtaz Taylan, Ercan Kesal. Turkey/Bosnia/Herzegovina.
PLAY: Based on actual events, PLAY follows a group of kids lured from an enclosed mall into remote woods by another group with possibly nefarious intentions. DIR/SCR Ruben Östlund. CAST Anas Abdirahman, Sebastian Blyckert, Yannick Diakité, Sebastian Hegmar, Abdiaziz Hilowle. Sweden/France/Denmark.
A SEPARATION: Winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin, this drama is a complex portrait of an Iranian family torn apart by a divorce and an escalating feud. DIR/SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi, Merila Zarei. Iran.
THE SILVER CLIFF: Abandoned with shocking cruelty by her husband, Violeta embarks on a heartbroken 24-hour odyssey through the bustling and beautiful cityscape of Rio de Janeiro. DIR Karim Aïnouz. SCR Beatriz Brachner, Karim Aïnouz. CAST Alessandra Negrini, Thiago Martins, Gabi Pereira, Otto Jr., Carla Ribas. Brazil.
TARGET: In this flamboyant and ambitious Russian science fiction drama, a wealthy couple from Moscow search for the source of eternal youth. DIR Alexander Zeldovich. SCR Vladimir Sorokin, Alexander Zeldovich. CAST Maksim Sukhanov, Justine Waddell, Danila Kozlovsky, Daniela Stoyanovich. Russia.
THIS IS NOT A FILM: Banned by Iran from filmmaking for 20 years and threatened with imprisonment, Jafar Panari offers a remarkable portrait of an artist at the crossroads. DIR/SCR Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi. Iran.
THE TURIN HORSE: An apocalyptic vision of the harsh lives of peasants in a pitiless landscape, this enigmatic and beautiful film marks Hungarian master Béla Tarr’s farewell to cinema. DIR Béla Tarr. SCR Béla Tarr, László Krasznahorkai. CAST Erika Bók, János Derzsi, Mihály Kormos, Ricsi. Hungary.
BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS
EXPECTING: In Chile, a young girl and her boyfriend wait for a black-market drug to take effect in this tense and insightful examination of teen pregnancy. DIR/SCR Francisca Fuenzalida. Chile. U.S. Premiere.
LIGHT OF MINE: Rapidly going blind, photographer Owen and his wife Laura take a life-changing trip to Yellowstone National Park where they experience a beauty that rivals their tragedy. DIR Brett Eichenberger. SCR Jill Remensnyder. USA.
THREE AND A HALF: Three women risk everything and travel to the northwest Iranian border in hopes of escaping prison and reuniting with their comrades. DIR/SCR Naghi Nemati. CAST Samaneh Vafaiezadeh, Shooka Karimi, Negar Hassanzadeh, Mehdi Poormoosa. Iran. U.S. Premiere.
WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT: In this Swedish romantic drama, uptight Mia attends her father’s engagement party and not only gains a stepmother, but also a new lover, Frida. DIR/SCR Alexandra-Therese Keining. CAST Ruth Vega Fernandez, Liv Mjönes, Lena Endre, Krister Henriksson. Sweden. World Premiere.
MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS
BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW: An intense and hallucinogenic sci-fi film set in 1983, director Panos Cosmatos’ BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW is a one-of-a-kind film experience. DIR/SCR Panos Cosmatos. CAST Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry, Rondel Reynoldsen. USA.
HEADHUNTERS: In this thriller, corporate headhunter by day, art thief by night Roger will do anything to keep his gorgeous wife happy, even stealing from the wrong adversary. DIR Morten Tyldum. SCR Lars Gudmestad, Ulf Ryberg. CAST Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Norway.
KILL LIST: As bills stack up and pressures at home mount, an unemployed dad realizes it’s time to get back on the horse and kill some people. DIR Ben Wheatley. SCR Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump. CAST Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, MyAnna Buring. UK.
