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AFI FEST 2020 Goes Virtual Oct. 15-22

AFI FEST 2020 presented by Audi is going virtual! This year people across the nation can be part of AFI’s annual festival that features the best in world cinema. The festival will take place online Oct. 15-22.

The virtual edition will have the same programming structure as previous years with sections highlighting new auteurs and world cinema, as well as filmmaker conversations and the AFI Summit, a festival favorite.

Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI Festivals, and his team already have one virtual festival under their belts: AFI DOCS. It was the first festival that shifted entirely online post-COVID, offering ticketed virtual screenings and events.

Lumpkin recently spoke with The L.A. Times about the move to virtual for DOCS and what audiences can expect for FEST:

“The experience at the end of the day was very similar, a lot of the same things happened and we intentionally wanted it to be built like a virtual version of what we usually do on the ground…I think the important thing is that the essential piece of any festival, the films, the voices and the stories that really are the heart of the festival, isn’t changing.”  READ MORE

The full lineup of films and events will be revealed closer to the festival start date. Sign up for the AFI newsletter to get the latest updates. For those new to AFI FEST, check out photos and videos from last year’s FEST.