The American Film Institute have announced the lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 25-29.
Highlights include the World Premiere of Albert Brooks: Defending My Life directed by Academy Award nominee Rob Reiner, All of Us Strangers directed by Andrew Haigh, American Fiction directed by Cord Jefferson, The Bikeriders directed by Jeff Nichols, The End We Start From directed by Mahalia Belo, Fingernails directed by Christos Nikou, the World Premiere of Freud’s Last Session directed by Matthew Brown, Memory directed by Michel Franco, Quiz Lady directed by Academy Award winner Jessica Yu, and Society of the Snow directed by J.A. Bayona, which will all screen in the Special Screenings section.
This year's AFI Fest 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 3 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 percent are directed by women, 37 percent are directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 18 percent 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.
“Everyone on the AFI Fest team is proud to share this year’s selection of outstanding films from around the world with the audiences of Los Angeles,” said Todd Hitchcock, Director of AFI Fest. “Cinema is truly a global language, and the diversity of screen artistry represented here will widen the horizons for all moviegoers.”
The program will also feature a panel celebrating the greatest film books of all time moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. Some 300 of the world's most noted filmmakers, film executives, authors and cultural tastemakers have cast ballots to determine a list of the 100 greatest books about film, which The Hollywood Reporter will reveal in a special issue on October 11. AFI Fest will gather many of them on October 28 for an historic, engaging discussion.
Top Sponsors for AFI Fest 2023 include Apple Original Films, Canva, AMC Networks and Participant.