Today, AFI is thrilled to announce that the 2021 edition of AFI FEST will take place November 10–14, 2021, and open with the World Premiere of Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events in Los Angeles, CA, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists.

The Opening Night screening of tick, tick…BOOM! will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award^® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda in his feature directorial debut, the film is based on the autobiographical musical by “Rent” playwright Jonathan Larson and stars Academy Award^® nominee and Tony Award^® winner Andrew Garfield. The film is written by Tony Award^® winner Steven Levenson, and produced by Academy Award^® and Emmy^® winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard for Imagine Entertainment, Julie Oh, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Please note that with health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.

Tickets and passes to AFI FEST 2021 are available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/support/.

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“AFI FEST 2021 will captivate our community of film lovers, starting with our opening night film, tick,  tick…BOOM!,” said Sarah Harris, Director of Programming at AFI Festivals. “We’re thrilled to elevate the best in global cinema to audiences safely in theaters in Los Angeles and across the nation virtually, celebrating the beauty and power of film.”

About tick, tick…BOOM!

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award^® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of “Rent.” The film follows Jon (Academy Award^® nominee and Tony Award^® winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have?

tick, tick…BOOM! stars Academy Award^® nominee and Tony Award^® winner Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Tony Award^® nominee Robin de Jesús, Tony Award^® nominee Joshua Henry, Emmy^® Award nominee Mj Rodriguez, Emmy^® Award winner Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter aka Black Thought of The Roots, with Emmy^® and Tony Award^® winner Judith Light and Vanessa Hudgens.

Learn more about AFI FEST 2021 here.